Song of the Sun
by TucaoNormal
Summary: AU. This is what if you combine Your Lie in April with superhero stories: Kaori survived through the surgery and undertook the duty of Sun, a superhero. She inspired many idealistic young boys and girls, among which were many anime figures you are familiar with. An unique, romantic superhero story with a heroine as sunny as the sun itself.
1. Prologue

For L,

who inspires me to write and live

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

A/N: Thanks Rebecca Holmes for her meticulous revision.

 **Prologue**

"Kids, I' m happy to be able to have a heart-to-heart talk with you on your commencement day – a day that bears great importance to you." said the white–haired old man standing on the stage in the center of the packed auditorium. He held the microphone in trembling hands, his eyes half closed lifelessly.

This was the commencement day of a middle school, attended by the graduating students of the third year. After enduring three hours of long and tedious speeches, the restless students could not endure another one and showed disgust on their faces; some played on their smart phones with their intimate classmates, yelling "go there" in frenzy; others discussed the anecdotes about their classmates, sometimes leaning back and laughing, sometimes raising paws to give that gossip guy a smite; and some had even entered dreamland, snoring thunderously that the snore could be heard throughout the whole auditorium. All of them thought of it as another cliched speech not worth hearing.

Except for one.

"Hey, wake up, wake up!" In the last row of the auditorium, a boy reached his hands and woke up his friend who was sitting next to him by shaking the latter's head. The boy had a pair of unpleasant dead fish eyes, black hair like wild weeds, and a single hair that stood proudly on his head. His friend was a yellow-haired boy with fair skin, golden pupils like wheat and a soft look.

"What's wrong, Hikigaya?" The woken boy rubbed his eyes reluctantly, stretched slowly and asked.

"Listen to his speech carefully, he's my grandpa!" urged the boy with dead fish eyes, "He will grumble a lot if no one listens to his 'nonsense'."

"He's your grandpa? But you don't resemble him at all." said the surprised yellow-haired boy, eyes wider. Indeed, they did not resemble each other: nothing was similar except the dead fish eyes and the standing hair.

"I always want to help you, but this time I can't." The yellow-haired boy replied lazily, then put his hand comfortably behind his head, wanting to fall asleep again. "We've been asleep for three hours. Boring."

"But he is different! He is a renowned social activist, who can always attract attention wherever he goes. Unfortunately," sighed the dead-fish-eyed boy as he lowered his head, "he sometimes gets misunderstood and even had his life threatened."

"How can some be so barbarous and senseless in 2072." said the yellow-haired boy, holding his fists. "Well, I'll listen to him for your sake."

The old man on the stage stood trembling, a little excitation in his calm voice, "She was a legend to our generation. Sunny, optimistic, a believer in justice, and somewhat naive. I know you won't understand that much, but at that time, we truly conceived of making the world a better place, so she naturally became our idol. Somewhat naive, isn't it? But after all, youth free of naivete is not worthwhile." teased the smiling wryly old man, inducing a little dull laughter among the audience.

"Who is he referring to?" The yellow-haired boy supported his cheek with his left hand; his eyes were wide open.

"Sun, a superhero of my grandpa's generation, who was very famous back then," said the dead-fish-eyed boy, swinging his head in the air, "You don't know this, but when mentioning her, my grandpa's usually lifeless eyes will glow. He will also say that she inspired many people of his generation, including himself."

"I remember that; my grandpa Natsume also mentioned the one named the Sun and his decision to become a teacher was also because of her." The yellow-haired boy suddenly realized that, put his heads on his cheek and cried out.

"Unfortunately, the light appeared for only five months before vanishing. It was dark over the city then; people perished one after another. It was her who kindled herself and dispelled the darkness, finally ..." The old man began to choke, his voice faded and sobbed slowly. He took out his handkerchief and gently wiped his tears, and then said, choking again, "Later, we discovered her identity: a fifteen–year–old girl. Yes, she was as young as you fellows."

Loud shocked gasps broke out below the stage.

"This is her." With twitching hands, the old man took out a photo of a yellow–haired and blue–eyed girl who was as bright as the sun, "We later found out that she was a famous violinist who loved sweets and playing with kids. She was a naive guy indeed." The old man smiled wryly, sighed resignedly as if recalling his old friend.

He kept telling the legend of Sun, and the students below the stage kept listening to his stories without sleepiness but with concentration. "Last but not least, I hope that you can remember her name – an ordinary, but unusual name: Miyazono Kaori."

A steady burst of applause was heard below the stage.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 1**

The girl on the operating table was desperately trying to open her eyes, looking at the dazzling and frigid lights above her head.

She knew it was of no use: in several minutes, herself would faint due to anesthetic, and, during a period after that, her life would be at mercy of some men wearing white gowns. They were standing around her, holding surgical instruments reflecting frigid lights and wearing repressive white masks on their faces. The operating table, too, was as cold as the butcher's cutting meat board. Behind harsh white gowns were green walls, and, ironically, such greenness failed to let her feel any liveliness. Maybe it is because they are not real grasses, she thought.

They were talking. She tried to listen as if she could hear some, but, as anesthetic came to have effect, what she could hear turned more and more obscure, and finally all were of total silence, like silence in a morgue. Her big eyes as blue as the sky were wide open, desperately resisting effects of ether, but, despite that, she could not evade the inevitable end.

She yearned for another look at the world.

What she yearned for another look at was too much: apprehensive and anxious parents waiting out of the operation room, the bridge above the river surface, flying cherry blossom petals in the park in the spring, the piano and children in the cake shop, Tsubaki and Watari worrying for her, and ... and the boy in blue playing for her on the stage. These were all precious and indispensable ones in her life. She shook her head slightly, several tears rolling down on her face, sadly knowing that she might not see them again.

She thought and thought and closed her big, blue eyes wistfully, but her lips were still moving a bit, muttering a name:

"Kousei ..."

* * *

Later, Miyazono Kaori dared to open her eyes.

She was not lying in the operating room – rather, she was standing on soft, green grass like a carpet. She looked around curiously, noting blades of grass waving slightly in mild breeze. There was no sun in the sky, but mere stars all over it and sea–like dark blueness. Fireflies were scattered on the ground, illuminating weakly as stars on the sky. Afar laid a river flowing quietly and an illegible bridge above it. She then looked at herself: her hair was as golden as before, and she was wearing a white robe; she was an ancient Greek sculpture.

"Ah?!" exclaimed her.

She did not know where it was but felt some familiarity, closed her eyes and concentrated to search memory in her brain. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, mouth wide open, because she knew it. This was the grass under that bridge. She was the one who played hopscotch with little kids on the bridge in the sunset, and she and Kousei were the ones who boldly jumped into the river on that afternoon with spring breeze. She still remembered Kousei's countenance at that moment: although his clothes and shoes were all wet, he was still smiling. An uninhibited, big smile from his deep heart.

And now there was only night. Only night.

"What happened?" asked herself the confused yellow–haired girl. She raised her head to look up at luminous stars like thousands of sky lanterns, then stared at the bridge faraway. She wandered in that direction, but surprisingly found the verdant carpet endless and the bridge unreachable. Kaori curiously looked around for clues, eyes enlarged, feeling more confused. She stroke her chest and kept asking herself,

"Why am I here? Why there is little light? Why can't I walk to that bridge? Why? Why ..."

A shadow appeared before her all of a sudden. That shadow possessed no shape, merely squirming here, but it seemed to have its own sense, stretching dark tentacles toward her like a beast waving claws and teeth before its dying prey.

Intense fear spread over Kaori's face, she retreated back step by step and stumbled onto the ground by accident. She shrieked fearfully, retreating back awkwardly leaning on her hands, but the shadow had no intention to stop. Fireflies on the ground went out in an instant, and the earth became dark again. Stars vanished, leaving an all–black, velvet–like sky, portending the girl's tragic fate.

Then another more horrible thing occurred: her white robe was turning black! Bit by bit, step by step, diabolic blackness was devouring Kaori's robe from bottom.

"Kousei! Save me! No! No ..." She desperately shrieked again, tried to continue her retreat, but had nothing to do except sitting here. Such a powerless feeling reminded her of the night when she saw her parents crying on cold chairs in the hospital.

Then all was black.

* * *

"Hey! Hey!" Kaori was yelling with all of her force, struggling to escape the darkness just like survivors buried under ruins in an earthquake. Although she had tried her greatest strength – much greater than the strength she used against Kousei – the darkness enveloped her more tightly, its sticky tentacles entangled her arms, ankles and even neck like an giant octopus, wrapping her tightly and nearly suffocating her. She kept struggling with her body, arms and legs, but it was of no use: the fiercer she struggled, the tighter the bond of darkness grew, seemingly warning her not to resist. She could not get rid of thick darkness at all, but slowly closed her eyes out of hopelessness.

Kaori presumed that she was going to die.

But the fact was just the opposite.

At the moment when she faltered on the brink of death like a goldfish stranded on shore, darkness miraculously loosened its merciless embrace, and Kaori again stood erect on the grass beside the bridge. Kaori glanced around and surprisingly realized it was day now: mild sunshine shone over grasses with aroma like cake's smell, the river flowed quietly like a blue ribbon, and the bridge faraway seemed no longer illegible but clearer than before as if it could be reached by mere hands. She grew obsessed in such beautiful scenery, dreamily shouting words like "Here is so beautiful! I want to stay here forever!" seemingly having forgotten that horrifying scene just now.

Attempting to feel natural beauty of grass and bridge with her heart, Kaori slowly closed her eyes again, but before them was darkness as horrible as the darkness pushing down on her: it, like a bottomless abyss, was diabolically and gradually consuming her vestigial confidence. Kaori opened her eyes hastily, the darkness vanished at once, bright sunshine and the scenery were still before her eyes. She widened her eyes, looked at herself quickly and was startled again: her robe was brutally torn apart at multiple places, filthy dust and bloody scars crawled over her white, smooth and flawless skins, among which one even stretched from her hand to her upper arm like a lethal lightning, evidently due to the arduous struggle. She just stood here with deep confusion on her face, lokking down at grass under her face, knowing no about where to go.

Suddenly she sullenly whispered to herself:

"Don't lower your head again."

Kaori lifted her head slowly, staring up to the sun high in the sky, and then powerfully stretched her injured arms toward it as if trying to grasp it in them. She closed her eyes, her lips moving slightly, as if praying to the sun. She knew it was of no use, but she now had only one wish – one sincere wish:

"I don't want to leave this world so early."

Abruptly she felt her feet floating – in fact, it was herself who floated from the ground bit by bit, rising up incessantly to the height of the sun. Bright and glaring sunshine prevented her from opening her eyes, so she could merely feel the intense warmth of the sun with her eyes closed.

The sun shone on her white robes and skin, on her big blue eyes, and made her as bright as the sun. If someone on earth were passing by at this time, he would have thought that there were two suns in the sky.

When she opened her eyes again, the warm sun was in her. Her white robe had disappeared, so had and dust and scars. Her whole body now was giving off light and warmth like the sun. On her face a pair of big, blue and curious eyes like infants' overlooked the ground curiously with a sunny, sincere smile.

She finally made up her mind, raised her clenched fists as if she were flying toward the sky, and slowly but firmly spoke her declaration aloud:

"I am love, I am hope, I am the light guarding the world, I am Sun!"

* * *

"Succeeded!" sighed the chief surgeon with relief, who clutched a lancet before the cold operating table. He would sigh after every surgeon whatever the result was, and the patient's fate could be only known via his next words. "We have succeeded in saving another life."

"To be honest, I'm believing in God again," said an excited assistant with sweat filling his forehead, wiping perspiration on his head and gasping like an athlete after a sprint race, "How could such miracle happen without Him? Really, I don't know what these atheists think ..."

"Be careful, I am an atheist," protested another assistant with sweat filling his forehead, waving his forceps in his hand violently, "And, as I've said numerous times, there is no god, it's our effort which saved this child. You have to know that religion is the opia..."

"Come on, shut up you two, the patient now wakes up!" Without raising his head, the chief surgeon yelled so impatiently and angrily that these two eyed the former sheepishly and each other hostilely, and dared not to speak again. He then gently said to the recently awakened Kaori, smiling like spring breeze, "Yes, the surgery is done. You have been out of danger, and a few days of observation is enough."

"Thanks," said Kaori on the operating table weakly and softly.

No one knew then that this common girl would one day become a perennial legend.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 2**

In a ward of the hospital, the blonde–haired girl was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her hair sprawled like instant noodles behind her head, seemingly unwilling to be bound by colorful bands. Her arms were casually behind her head, legs stretching languidly, face full of sincere smiles as if having good dreams.

In the dark blue sky many a cloud were passing by, seemingly taking a long journey to send blessings to sleeping kids and adults. Distant, weak starlight and near warm family lights shot in from the window simultaneously, gently resting on Kaori's beautiful face like the maiden's first kiss and a bunch of presents beside her: a sack of canelé with brown package, a big pineapple bread that lured people to have a bite, an delicate and sparkling Gekota badge, and a copy of _Jane Eyre_. Canelé was certainly given by Kousei, the pineapple bread was bought by Watari, who ran to the cake shop, the Gekota badge was acquired by Tsubaki after spending an afternoon on a gashapon machine, but the _Jane Eyre_...

"This is given by one of your fans who said he was relieved that you survive from the surgery," Laughing wildly, Watari explained to a surprised Kaori, "He is a true–love fan indeed."

"How can he ... know my disease?" asked Kaori with surprise, carefully scrutinizing the book given to her by one of her fans. On the golden cover stood a fourteen–five–year–old peasant girl with a fine lace hat on her head and long golden hair dancing behind her in the wind. Her large, bright eyes looked straight ahead, and looked passionately at Kaori in front of her, filled with youthful vigor and hope for the future. Embellished in blue skies, white clouds and vibrant green grass, the top of the cover read "Jane Eyre" in beautiful letters, like blooming flowers.

Watari scratched his head sheepishly, "Well, he started asking us about you before your surgery, saying he was quite worried about you. You don't know that, he was so excited upon hearing that your surgery was successful that he kept murmuring 'thank goodness'. Oh, he also inserted a small card here in the book – he said this card could only be seen by you."

Upon hearing such words like confession, Kaori couldn't help covering her mouth with her hands and she was even about to exclaim. She then opened her fan's present with twitching hands and found a small card in inner pages with words on it then opened it, "Dear Miss Miyazono Kaori, I am relieved to know that you are still alive, which is the biggest relief for me. I heard you playing many times a few years ago, all of which were unforgettable for me. Now I present the book _Jane Eyre_ as a gift, hoping that you, like the heroine of this book, can find your own happiness. Yours sincerely, a fan."

"A trifling gift, a profound emotion indeed. So much written for gifting a simple book," Tsubaki laughed fiercely and leaned back violently; had it not been for the wall behind her, Tsubaki would have collapsed onto the ground. "I wonder if Kousei feels challenged."

"Absolutely ... Absolutely not!" Kousei reddened his face like a tomato – or to say, like a jalapeno – and waved his fists fiercely in midair, trying to argue vehemently but delivering no word and finally squeezed some words from his mouth with great awkwardness, "Kaori is a person who can receive flowers on the first round of the competition. Isn't it usual?"

"True," agreed Watari. He noted that Kaori said nothing, so he smiled, turned to her and teased, "What's the matter, Kaori? You wouldn't be satisfied unless he gave you gold, frankincense, and myrrh?"

Tsubaki lift one foot angrily and precisely hit it on Watari's knee.

"Ouch!"

"Dare you say bad things about Kaori again!" yelled an angry Tsubaki to the naughty boy's ears, making a face angrily. The boy then quickly clogged his ears with his hand, avoiding from becoming deaf.

"Haha!" laughed everyone, adding much vigor to the lifeless ward in an instant; even all bacteria mass–destructed seemed to be brought back life. Kaori smiled and sighed deeply: after enduring arduous days with her, her friends eventually smiled, and this was what she wished.

Now, she would finally be able to have a good sleep.

At least she thought so.

* * *

"Ah!" exclaimed Kaori, who just covered her cheeks and sat up from the bed.

She now was absent–minded without knowing why she woke up, so she forcefully rubbed her eyes with her hands, then intensely shook her head and widened her sleepy eyes, only to find everything so normal: the starlight combined with artificial lights seeping into the window, presents beside her, her clothes with blue and white stripes, and her golden hair, everything – except the blackening sky outside the window and clouds which had vanished – was unchanged. She, however, felt somewhat unusual in this quite atmosphere. Maybe it was too silent, she lowered her head and thought.

Feeling being pushed by an unknown force, she shoved the white, snow-like thick quilt aside and carefully stretched her feet off the bed toward the frigid wooden ground, then weakly held iron railings on sides of the bed with her two hands and stood up. She did not try to put her feet in her warm plush slippers, nor did she conceive of walking some steps toward the not–so–remote hanger and getting a thick cotton coat from its highest hook to withstand the frigid winds on a February night. After all, she felt like as if she were manipulated by someone; her straying mind didn't even know why to get out of bed.

Kaori raised a hand and slightly held the frozen door handle reflecting moonlight, then pushed the door open quietly and went out of the ward with leaden footsteps.

Cold lights shone in corridors in the hospital, and the smell of disinfectant was in the air. No one was in the whole corridor, as if all human beings were eliminated like flies, bacteria and viruses with that lethal chemical killer. Upon seeing such a dead scene, she was a little afraid, biting her nails nervously, sweats oozing on her head. But somehow she put her hands casually beside her body, then decided to listen to that unknown force and slowly went on. But to where?

"To the rooftop," a faintly muffled voice in her head said.

Kaori was shocked by her own idea, closing her eyes tightly, hands seizing her hair, shaking her head desperately. But the more vehement she shook her head, the louder and clearer the voice was, seemingly coming ahead. Then she realized it was her own voice!

Kaori was stunned into standing stiffly, grinding her teeth and fists beside her body with her mind in chaos, incessantly thinking,

"Where on earth did that sound come from? Why do I hear my own voice in my head? Why should I go to the rooftop? Why?"

But she firmly knew that only by believing in herself could she gain relief, so she sighed long, nodded a bit, decided to listen to the voice in her head and slowly walked toward the rooftop step by step. The voice in her head first grew less intense as if going afar and finally vanished. She again heard nothing but silence.

Kaori walked to the entrance of the rooftop, hesitantly stared closely at the gray door in front of her, as if it were the entrance to hell. Trembling, she stretched out her left hand and put her five fingers slowly on the cold gray door, and then the whole hand clung to it.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, which then made a strident "squeak" as if it were scolding the girl who had trespassed on the roof in front of it. Kaori disregarded this angry guard and meticulously put her slim left leg across the gray threshold on the cement ground, then stretched her right leg and stepped in.

It was truly dead on the rooftop. Kaori's feet were on cold concrete, herself surrounded by gray barbed wire, winds roaring like tigers beside her; these mechanical objects reminded her of the past, gray steam age. But her whole body did not feel a trace of cold, even felt a touch of warmth inside her body. She looked up and saw the stars all over the firmament, illuminating so brightly, so close as if they could be touched with mere hands; she looked down and saw bustling streets with bright lights the same as stars in the sky, and people freely enjoyed themselves among such artificial myriads of stars. She then stood here dully with confusion all over her face, knowing nothing about why she was here, but vaguely feeling something about her mission.

Somehow she suddenly lifted her right hand, fist pointing toward the sky as if she were about to rush up to it and talk with the stars, and excitedly exclaimed,

"Awaken, Sun!"

Light enveloped Kaori's body in an instant.

She closed her eyes with a smile, feeling warmth and brightness via her body.

* * *

"I am love, I am hope, I am the light guarding the world, I am Sun!"

The light disappeared, and Kaori was totally changed.

On her forehead was a V–shaped golden crown with decoration and a heart–shaped Midasian crystal on its bottom. Her upper face was covered by a golden mask, leaving her eyes nude, and her lower face turned yellow with decoration. Her lips were dark yellow, and a light yellow ribbon was tightly around her neck.

A yellow cloak appeared on Kaori's shoulders and came down to her thigh, a yellow outer garment with a heart–shaped golden crystal on it was on her breast, and her hands were in orange–yellow gloves up to upper arms with a heart–shaped golden crystal on the back of each hand. Her nude belly had turned yellow with yellow skirt and belt under it, her legs were in a pair of flat–bottomed golden knee boots up to thighs with heart–shaped golden crystals on the upper legs.

Blue big eyes opened, the girl looked at herself, her golden gloves, short skirts and glittering boots. She then widened her eyes, trying to confirm that all she saw were real. Confusion and astonishment were written over her face, and an exclamation echoed on the rooftop:

"Ah?!"

She was startled again, putting her hands over her cheeks and almost jumping into the air, "My voice ... changed?" Indeed, her voice became louder, clearer and heavier; it did not seem to belong to a fifteen-years-old girl but a young woman in her twenties.

"What's up?" Kaori raised her hands in amazement, looking over her whole body carefully and incredulously, then touched the crystal in her chest to make sure she was not dreaming. She felt the crystal and went nervous, incessantly asking herself many questions,

"What happened? Why do I wear such a strange costume? And what's this mask for? What's going on here? Who can answer me?"

She stood there in such a daze, and somehow moved a little step to the thick with gray barbed wire on the edge of the roof. Suddenly she found herself jumping into the air, falling like a broken bird down the street, the wind curling up the cape behind her, roaring like a lion in her ear, as if laughing at her recklessness.

"No!" she closed her eyes with fear, her face twisting, nervously holding her fists down, trying hard to lift her body up, fighting Earth's gravitational pull desperately to stay in midair.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes in fear and opened her mouth in amazement and stared at the ground: she did not fall into the street, but was flying strangely over it. Her arms were raised flat, her fists clenched, the cape behind him blown up by the strong wind, fluttering restlessly in the air. She now had her legs together, was flying about ten meters above the ground, so fast that the bright lights around her were starting to flow, and she could not help feeling that she was driving the wind. What had been only in comics (she couldn't remember whether it was Marvel or DC) was occurring to her.

"Dear me! I can fly now!" exclaimed Kaori, opening her mouth wide.

Kaori then flew to a crossroad at a very fast speed, and wondered what it was like in the air, then boldly lowered her head to see roads embellished by lights. By her side was the silent night, while the boisterous and lively flow of people, traffic and lights were under her, making her feel a little lonely.

An idea flashed through Kaori's mind, and she closed her eyes nervously, clenched her fists more tightly, took a deep breath, and summoned up the courage to try to turn in the air. A few seconds later, Kaori slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she had successfully turned down another street and was still in the air.

"So amazing! Am I in a dream?" Kaori said to herself, obsessed in such pleasant experience and closing eyes dreamily.

"No, this is real!" Her loud voice responded to her mind abruptly, shocking her so much that she opened her eyes in a flash of fright, popped her hands away, nearly stopped flying and slamming to the ground into a patty. Fortunately, she controlled herself in time, slowly stopping in midair, looking around at colorful lights as curiously as a child, then controlled herself and landed onto the highest city center skyscrapers in vicinity.

At this moment her feet were on the dark roof, and Kaori could not help feeling that she _was_ dreaming. It was time to ask that peculiar voice in her head.

"Who are you?" asked her to the voice in her mind spreading her hands and frowning, and its calm response astonished her so much that she almost collapsed:

"I am your repressed other side. I was sleeping until the day you saw your parents cry in the hospital and decided to run."

"My other side?" Kaori opened her eyes, mouth opened in surprise, brain blank. She held out her left hand twitching, recklessly pinched her right arm, and with a painful cry of surprise, determined that she was not dreaming. She then felt that she must be mad so that she could hear "the other side" talking. The voice seemed to know what she was thinking, and said quietly:

"Do not worry, you are not mad. I have always witnessed your words and actions, witnessed you pursuing happiness and love, witnessed you breaking conventions and winning much applause when performing, witnessed you uninhibitedly jumping down from the bridge and freely chatting with Kousei. I have always witnessed you liberating yourself. Finally, you have awakened and became one with me." The voice kept calmly speaking.

Kaori put both hands on two sides of the body, the mouth naughtily puckering up, carefully recollected the voice, and her mood slowly quieted down. Yes, it was true. She thought slowly. Did she do everything not to keep the light in the hearts of the people? The audience listened to her free and unrestrained playing and applauded her;Kousei, under her encouragement, went on the way of music, regained his childhood and inspired his friends and a little girl. The beautiful and free things she had done in the past rendered her giggling and feeling much better.

Still, unable to forget her vague mission, she clenched her fists and asked the voice word by word:

"So what should I do?"

"There is not only light in the world, since in many places – visible and invisible ones – people suffer from darkness, and your mission is to pull them from darkness."

The voice gradually became serious and heavy, but Kaori was not serious at all: as soon as the voice was finished, she immediately laughed like a flower, eyes shining, clapping hher hands happily, and shouting, "Great! I know! I know! I've been looking forward to this moment!" She closed her eyes, smiled, and recalled excitedly the past:

Five–year–old Kaori held to her mother excitedly a beautiful, shiny fairy tale book, small eyes full of expectations. Her mother smiled kindly, looking softly at her daughter, who was not yet as high as a piano, and asked curiously, "You want to be a princess in the story, don't you?"

"No! I want to be the prince!" Her voice was tender and firm, and her mother stepped back in surprise and laughed again. "The prince is so handsome! I want to be him to protect the princess!"

Now, she knew clearly that she had finally had a chance to protect others.

"Well, there is an alley 150 meters southeast, in which a girl is escaping a scoundrel. Go, Sun, show your light. Good luck."

Upon the last word of that voice vanishing, Kaori put away her smile and faced the deep and dark night sky as if it were her grave, but she cowered not. Then she ran two steps southeast and jumped up like a stretched spring.

* * *

The short-haired girl was running desperately in the dim and shabby alley, gasping wildly, trying to escape the knife behind her.

Or to say to escape its owner.

She knew nothing about why she was picked by that scoundrel. By her side was merely a shoulder bag, in which were only the key to her boyfriend's house and her long–used, discolored phone, so to rob her fortune was not possible.

Tonight should have been very pleasant for her: she planned to go to her boyfriend's home, make some delicious dinner dishes together, then enjoy playing the newly released galgame of Key – which was said to have a high favorable rate on Steam – then discuss plot of new works with him, especially a crucial branching point. She, however, noted the sinister stalker and the chilling, equally diabolic blade in his hand when she was walking on streets, walked into this alley under great mental pressure, and had to muster her courage to run as fast as she could, trying to get rid of him before she was exhausted. Had it not been for this accident, she should have been enjoying romantic time with her lover now.

The girl was running with her face red and legs exhausted as if it were laden with lead, gasping violently as if she could not breathe. The hurried and cunning steps behind her went closer and closer, freezing her blood in her veins.

She couldn't help running faster, her red face was oozing out big sweat drops, and she was more and more fearful deep in her heart – so fearful that she closed her eyes to escape the reality. She bumped into something by accident and raised her head to see, then her fear turned despair: before her was an insuperably high, cold cement wall, sentencing her death. She had walked into a dead end.

The killer with the butcher's cleaver in his hand appeared before her, a black cloth covering over his face, his hair as disorderly as wild weeds, his eyes shining with evil triumph and lethal malignity, striding to his prey. The short–haired clasped her eyes with hands, then screeched and even crazily tapped "dot–dot–dot–dash–dash–dash–dot–dot–dot" signals on the wall. However, no one came to save her; in the darkness of a dead silence, there were only her weak body and the killer's considerable shadow.

Upon seeing the girl's madness, the killer was froze for a moment, and then bend his waist with a terrible, ironic laugh, then striding toward the trapped prey, waving the knife in his hand, like a butcher who was about to start cutting meat. The girl shrank in despair, hands covering her face, weeping powerlessly:

"Help me ... Tomoya ..."

"Stop!"

A clear and excited voice was heard afar.

The short–haired girl stopped crying, surprise was written all over her face under her hands, wondering how someone was here to save her. She then slowly opened her hands and furtively observed the owner of the voice via her finger seams. She thought Tomoya really came to save her; however, the one that stood at the end of the alley was not that familiar figure, but a blonde–long–haired girl in peculiar attire. With lights at the end of the alley, she gave off light like the sun. The short–haired girl faintly sensed that the stranger possessed some irresistible charisma.

The scoundrel was obviously startled as well, but he pretended to be calm and contemptuous in hope of maintaining his good impression, then turned his face, facing this odd uninvited guest, feeling both confused and a little afraid. Trying to boost his courage, he pointed his chilly blade to that guy and thundered:

"Who?!"

"I am love, I am hope, I am the light guarding the world, I am Sun!" replied the blonde–haired girl calmly and excitedly, clenching her fists; her blue eyes seemed to shoot two sharp swords. The scoundrel stared at that girl and felt that she might mean it, sweats oozing over his forehead, his teeth clucking.

"Leave that child alone!"

"Whoever you are, you dare to get in my way, I'll crash you!" yelled the angry and amused killer, forcefully waving the knife in his hand.

Although it was his first time to rob, he was not a fool; rather, he had maneuvered several times in the alley in advance and devised emergency plans up to five. He thought it over and felt that to attack first was wiser and more logical. He clutched the blade in his hand, and, with the speed of 100 meters race and the countenance of ghosts in thrillers, rushed toward the mysterious one that blocked him from the fortune, shouting in the tone of the Firelord, "Die, insect!"

The girl at the end of the alley took no precaution, seemingly not aware of the killer rushing toward her to take her life, but she just looked forward calmly and furiously, thinking how to fight the killer and protect the innocent girl. The scoundrel rushed to one step from her and swooped forward in the manner of a tiger down the hill ,powerfully stabbed the guilty blade toward the blonde–haired girl's heart before him, but the latter seemed not caring. The short–haired girl didn't want to see the tragic scene and closed her eyes out of fear, even sobbing.

She dared to opened her eyes seconds later and found things not going on as her supposition: the scoundrel's blade was miraculously blocked by the mysterious girl's forearm as hard as stone, and, regardless of his increasing force, the knife in his hand could not cut off the obstacle before it but just kept shouting painfully. The mysterious girl then lifted her arm with amazing strength, the sinful knife then plopped on the ground, uttering a shrill yelling, and its owner also stepped back fearfully, with his face full of fear and horror. The blonde–haired girl's excited voice was heard again:

"Light will punish you!"

Saying that, she lifted her head triumphantly, eyeing the panicked scoundrel's eyes, and the latter was frightened into unconsciousness and fell onto the ground.

She then walked up to the startled short–haired girl, slowly crunched down and stretched out a hand and lifted the latter up. The short–haired girl found this hand so unusual: this hand in a golden glove was giving formidable light, both soft and powerful, both warm and firm. One word, the hand eliminated her fears.

"Thank ... thank you." She firmly held the blonde–haired girl's hand, thanking her rescuer all the time, about to cry, "Had it not been for your help, I would have already fallen cold and dead."

"OK. The danger is now over. Need an escort?" The blonde–haired girl innocently smiled like a mother facing her daughter, and her voice became warmer. The short–haired girl stared at her eyes, as if she were staring at the stars.

"No ... I know my way. Thanks!" whispered the humble short–haired girl, lowering her head then turned back. She then walked toward the light at the end of the alley. She then seemed to remember something, turned back, and whispered to the leaving blonde–haired girl with a smile, "You are so ... beautiful."

The blonde–haired girl smiled happily, and responded, "You too." She then waved her hands and bounced away in a vivacious way.

The short–haired girl looked at the moving light in front of her and saw it as one with the light, thinking of the lovely fairy in fairy tales. The short–haired girl closed her eyes exultantly like a kid praying to Santa Claus and happily murmured, "Is this light of the sun ..."

* * *

The owner of the knife lay on the ground, fainted, his hair still disorderly. A pair of hands in yellow gloves appeared on his forehead and stroked on it. The owner of hands was kneeling down beside him on one knee, looking at him with a smile, then sighed and said faintly:

"Bless you with love and hope, Sun is with you. Wake up."

Kaori sighed deeply, put her hands aside, then stood up and eyed herself with her big blue eyes silently and seriously as if she were looking at a stranger.

"Sun has the mission to guard the world. From today, Sun is beginning to shine."

She then flew toward the dark blue night sky, leaving mere a beam of light.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 3**

Bright sunshine shone across the window of the ward and lay on Kaori's smiling face. Lying in the bed, she lazily stretched her arms toward the sun as if trying to embrace it, then raised her eyelids laden with lead languidly and grudgingly rubbed her eyes, because she had not had enough sleep.

After waking up, she looked at herself and around carefully, then felt that something went wrong: she was wearing merely blue–white–striped coat and trousers, and her golden crown, mask, gloves and knee boots all vanished. Also, she was not standing above the city in night, glimpsing the lights and the flow of people below, but lying on the warm bed in the familiar ward, and all were unchanged except the mild sunshine. Kaori sat on the bed dully without moving a bit, spread her hands beside her body feebly, then slowly lift the left hand and rubbed the forehead, incessantly memorizing things that happened last night, her mind being totally chaotic.

"What happened last night on earth? Why did I walk out of the ward to the rooftop, wear a strange suit and fly? Why did I fight a scoundrel and save a girl? Why did I become Sun?"

She was thinking about this problem, causally curling her messy golden hair with one hand, trying to find answer in these weeds, lightly grabbing the thin iron railing beside the bed with the other hand. Her confusion was abruptly replaced by deep surprise, mouth wide open and eyes staring at her right hand, because an unexpected thing occurred: she exerted force on the iron railing in her hand and twisted it into hemp rope, and her another force pulled the railing from the bed, which then uttered a reluctant screech, seemingly unwilling to part with its friends. She sat on the bed dully while holding that segment of railing and looking straight at the wall, thinking nothing.

After a long time, Kaori meticulously stretched her feet toward the ground and into her slippers slowly, but she was still holding her cheek in her left hand, her eyes rolling in disbelief.

A crazy idea struck her mind all of a sudden. She held the bed with her left hand, slowly got up and walked to the end of the bed step by step, one hand gently reaching to the unfathomable bottom of the bed, and then bravely pushed up. The bed uttered great and terrorizing noise, Kaori felt a little afraid, but she indeed saw herself raising the bed from a side.

She then slowly walked toward the center with her hand carefully supporting the bed, and after several seconds, she had already lifted that bed over her head with one hand like Atlas. Her arms stretched out straight, but she felt effortless, with surprise and confidence in her face, as if holding not a bed, but her laurel. She walked slowly back to her original position, her right hand supporting the bed in the air, and then she dropped her right hand, and the bed fell on the ground, making a dull "plop" that seemed to complain about her rudeness. Kaori could not help jumping up as if to jump into the midair, clapping her hands and laughing.

"I indeed have superhuman powers." said Kaori to herself joyously, clenching her fists, sunlight shining in her eyes, "Maybe this is Sun's power. It is time to show my light."

She lifted her right hand over her head, trying to shoot up to the sky, and shouted,

"Awaken, Sun!"

The golden ray of light, surrounded by her whole body in a flash, vanished in a few seconds, leaving her in the Sun fighting suit, and she was astounded to see her whole body reflecting the sunlight, trembling with excitement, and shouted excitedly. She immediately held her arms flat, legs close together, then flew in the tiny ward, leaving a golden ray of light.

A warm but serious and anxious voice was abruptly heard outdoor, "Miss Miyazono Kaori, can I come in? Time for the morning daily check–up."

Kaori gave it a rough thought with her Sun brain, then recognized that voice at once: it was a nurse responsible for her check–up. The nurse in her twenties was plain–looking but lively and kind, and she, like Kaori, was also fond of children, especially her small patient Kaori, with whom she often played joke. For Kaori she was like a elder sister.

Kaori turned panic at once, her eyes widened in panic, completely forgetting that she could fly out of the window, and just stood here with her hands hanging helplessly on both sides of the body. She suddenly remembered that she could make herself invisible, so she breathed a sigh of relief, her face no longer nervous. Then she came to enter invisibility and faded here from feet to head.

At the moment her whole body went invisible, the nurse opened the door with a "cheep!" and came in. She held the doorknob carefully with one hand, and her other hand was holding a chart with words written on it and a discolored ball-pen. She now was anxiously searching for her patient to do daily check–up, but she could not see the blonde-haired girl.

She hastened around the ward, squatting down and looking under the bed to see if Kaori was playing hide and seek with her, but found nothing. She looked more flustered, steps faster and larger. Sun put her left hand on her forehead and sighed gently, feeling a little guilty.

The young nurse walked on for at least three minutes, but finally stopped reluctantly, waved the chart angrily, frowned, licked her lips, and complained: "Where is that naughty guy? She must be careful! Why is the railing gone? I must find someone to fix it." Then the nurse walked out of the ward and gently closed the door.

* * *

As soon as the door was closed, Kaori removed her invisibility, bright sunshine again fell onto her body. She deeply sighed against the wall, nearly sliding down, "So dangerous, my secret was almost discovered! It seems that being Sun is not so easy."

Nevertheless, she did not shrink back but grew more interested in her own secret identity, admiring her shining body and the golden crystal on her chest like the sun, waving her clenched fists in the air and yelling, "Amazing! Amazing! Sun has great, unapproachable power! Amazing! Amazing!"

She then stretched out her own fists and tried to push them forward, as if the air were the sandbag of her fist. The sound of the whistle was heard in the air, as if the latter got cut. She got up from the ground and kicked her right leg to the imaginary sandbag in the air, drawing a perfect arc. Upon having discovered her powerful force, she was more happy, rolled out on the ground, and laughed wildly, "Sun has the power to guard the world!"

Later her sharp ears heard steps outside, and Sun's intuition told her that it was Arima Kousei walking toward her ward. Kaori exited her transformation status at once a little flustered, and was again sitting on the bed, her two hands on it, wearing blue–white–striped coat and trousers and smiling.

The door was lightly pushed open, and the boy wearing blue jacket and black–framed glasses stepped in a little humbly, eyeing the floor, a bag of canelé in his hand. Kaori widened her eyes ecstatically, saliva coming out, then rapidly stretched her arms, fiercely rushed to him and embraced his upper body as tightly as a plastic bag. Kousei was then almost suffocated, waved hand to Kaori and weakly pleaded, "OK, unleash me."

Kaori loosed her arm, put her hands on her hips and, like a victorious general facing the losers asking armistice, said triumphantly and funnily, "What? Arima Kousei sama, you cannot even get rid of a girl's embrace?"

"You are so amazing ... still have so much strength today even after your yesterday's surgery." Kousei spread his hands, smiled resignedly and lightly gave the bag of canelé to Kaori, smiling politely, "Taste this – I know you like it."

Kaori joyously shouted and almost scared Kousei to the floor. She then smiled sheepishly and thanked her boyfriend, quickly tore the bag and incessantly bundled canelé into her mouth until she could bundle no more, appreciating inarticulately and with satisfaction, "So delicious ... feel like if I had eaten nothing for a long time ..." Her eyes were dull, and the cells of her body seemed to have ceased to move, except her mouth which kept moving as if she hadn't swallowed any food for centuries. Kousei stood beside, staring at Kaori dumbly, held his mouth with his hands, rubbed his eyes violently, then took a sky–blue spectacle cloth from his bag and rubbed his glasses hard.

He later mustered his courage and slowly asked, "Kaori, are you OK?"

"Do not worry about me, I'm all well," replied the blonde–haired girl calmly without regarding Kousei's countenance, throwing canelé into her mouth, eyes infused with pleasure, "I've always been so, it is you who merely haven't noticed that."

"No, I've noticed your characteristics from the very start." Kousei waved his hands smilingly, sighed and said. "Oh, by the way, I have got to notify the nurse to have your check–up. She was so worried upon failing to find you."

"Oh, I just went to washroom and did not see her, please apologize to her for me," Kaori stroke her head and said apologetically, "need I go to say sorry to her in person?"

Kousei smiled and said to his dear, "No worry, I'll find her. Just stay here." He then walked toward the door, slowly exited, and noiselessly closed the door.

Bright sunshine came in from the window and fell warm on Kaori's body, making her feel that she was the sun. The blonde–haired girl's big blue eyes were effusive with light, and her face was full of vision for the future.

"I ... am Sun ..."

* * *

Golden sunset hung over one end of the street, sprinkling its today's last light in the clouds and on the earth. The atmosphere scattered the light that arrived from one astronomical unit away and showed dreamy yellow and red under optical laws. Tarred roads and glass curtain walls received the sunset glow and reflected it toward every direction, painting the whole city golden yellow.

On the city main street, the blonde–haired girl in a pink dress held her blue eyes big, a big smile from ear to ear on her face, walking with jump like a hare and witnessing scenery around her curiously, feeling if she were in dreams. The black–framed glasses boy was looking down at the road under his feet, nervously and humbly walking after her – so humble that he dared not to stretch out his arms – but not too near in fear of bumping into her.

"It's good outside! I don't want to be hospitalized again. So boring!" Kaori raised her hands with joy and shouted in her own maximum voice. He looked up at the wisp in front of him and waved his hand to silence her.

"Come on, you may still be hospitalized. Someone had been struck by lightning seven times." criticized a wryly smiling Kousei casually.

Kaori gave him an angry, heavy blow on his head with her left hand at once.

"Ouch!" wailed Kousei, jumping away from her in an instant, covering his head, "By the way, you are so incredible this time. Yesterday you had the surgery, and today you left hospital – I've never seen someone as fast as you!"

Kaori smirked jocularly, feeling that she had triumphed over Kousei, "As I have said, miracle will happen soon! Soon I'll be back at stage!"

"But even miracles cannot go too absurd ..." murmured a weak Kousei.

Kaori suddenly crouched down, her hands around her head, eyes closed, face twisted, teeth grinding, and she looked in sore as if the disease returned.

Kousei was startled with his forehead perspiring, stretched his arms in hope of aiding her and asked anxiously and worriedly, "Kaori, are you OK? Need I send you to hospital?"

Kaori swung her hand, bit her lips, smiled staunchly and murmured, "I ... I'm OK. Just sort of revolting. I'll go to the washroom."

"Need I accompany you?" asked Kousei with concern, his body leaning front.

"No, I can deal it with myself." Kaori waved her hand and said weakly.

"OK, be careful."

Kaori walked slowly to a nearby alley, pretending to be weak, then walked in, feeling a little guilty. She was just pretending to be sick, and the real reason was that she sensed the darkness nearby: 200 meters northwest, a boy was being hunted down by a gangster, so she had to act.

"Sorry, Kousei." She bowed her head guiltily and said softly, looking at the dark ground like an abyss.

After confirming that she was out of Kousei's sight, Kaori excitedly raised her right hand high and yelled:

"Awaken, Sun!"

Instantly the dark alley was lit up as if there were thousands of stars.

Seconds later, Kaori in Sun fighting suit quickly flew over the city, heading for an abandoned building in northwest.

* * *

"Damned, so unlucky ... err ... err ... Why do I have to encounter a gangster ... err ... err ..."

The black–haired boy complained while gasping. His left hand was against the wall weakly, right hand grasping the big flesh on his chest, dead fish eyes filled with gloom, even the hair previously standing erect and arrogant was also listlessly down like a withered bonsai due hotness.

Sinister steps downstairs fastened, and the boy's face turned dead pale at once, he grabbed the stair railing beside him as if it were his life ring and madly rushed upstairs. He looked down nervously, unreasonably fearing if the step under his feet suddenly vanished or it grew sharp spikes to kill him, and accidentally hit his head on something hard.

He stroked his forehead painfully, trying to reduce the pain, then lifted his head and almost uttered a laughter: the steps ended here, and a sudden gray wall in the middle of the stairs blocked his way, as if it intended to trap him. He got pissed off and amused, stamped his feet violently, then cursed:

"What the f**k is this rubbish design! The designer must be addicted to Harry Potter!"

Nonetheless, whatever he cursed and stamped on this damned wall, the Diagon Alley was still closed to him. He then sat on the stair in despair, lifeless dead fish eyes gazing at the gray, lifeless ground, patiently waiting for the Death holding a miniature sickle, but the latter did not show up for a long time. The dead–fish–eyed boy grew inpatient about the killer's heavy procrastination, stamped his feet violently and yelled with his head raising:

"Be quick, coward! Do not waste my precious time! Delay more and I'll hit the wall and die, and you cannot enjoy!"

As soon as he finished saying, the killer he ordered showed up before him. The killer, wearing a black gauze and a stubble of untrimmed beard, was tall and had fierce eyes but unexpectedly tidy and glossy hair, his hands holding a miniature sickle – also known as pistol – which frigidly glowed and showed demonic black itself. He laughed at the boy's stupidity, then causally pointed the pistol toward the dead–fish–eyed boy and triumphantly teased, "Any last request?"

The dead–fish–eyed boy lowered his head, unfolded his hands and asked dryly, "Sir, I have no feud with you, why do you run after me? Also, I have no possession with me. Are you going to take advantage of me?"

"Shut up!" yelled the scoundrel, his black pupils glaring angrily at the joker, angrily waving the pistol in his hand, "I tell you, you know too much, so my master ordered me to kill you and shut your mouth!" he added, "And don't insult me! My sexual orientation is normal!"

"Who's your master?" The dead–fish–eyed boy asked in total disregard of his own peril, staring straight at the terrorist in front of him, and even interested in the killer. His face turned curious and he asked with deep interest, "I'm just a common high school student keen on exposing and criticizing current evil deeds on Twitter, and I have never libeled anyone. By the way, sexual orientation..."

"Never mind that! After all, my master said that you pose prodigious threat to him, and it is time to eliminate you!" The gangster rudely interrupted the young man, who could not help feeling angry, but then thought it over. After all, if I don't make him happy, he probably won't let me do so, the boy thought.

The dead–fish–eyed boy sighed, lowered his head laden with lead and murmured quietly, "How unfortunate I am. No one had ever celebrated my birthday with me since my childhood, I got misunderstood by my classmates in middle school, and I encountered a bunch of disgusting guys in high school. From childhood to adolescence, all girls I confessed to found their true love, and I was not even one of their lovers. Now I have to fall before your bullets ... I, Hikigaya, am so unlucky."

"Shut up, you dead boy!"

The scoundrel yelled, decided not to delay and pointed the frosty pistol to the boy's heart, his finger twining on the trigger like a serpent. The boy did not react but just coldly waited for him to pull the trigger, and closed his eyes.

At this moment, a beam of light shot from behind the gangster and cracked his pistol off his hand.

The two were greatly startled.

"Who?!" yelled the scoundrel.

A calm and excited voice was heard behind them, "I am love, I am hope, I am the light guarding the world, I am Sun!"

The gangster turned back contemptuously and glanced in the direction of the voice with the boy, finding a blonde–haired girl in peculiar attire, biting her golden lips, raising her right hand, trembling angrily.

The scoundrel tried to cover his mouth with his left hand, endeavored to repress his impulse to laugh, waved his pistol, and said contemptuously and terrifyingly, "Do not meddle, little girl! Is your homework not enough? By the way, what's that? Light saber?" he laughed as saying, fond of playing a meme with this strange guy who was going to die,"Want background music? Da – da – da, dadada, dadada! Da – da – da, dadada, dadada! Haha! Are you angry?"

The blonde girl pursed her mouth with anger, took hold of the anger of the heart, gazing at the brutal scoundrel and said calmly, "Stop your atrocities, or you must take consequences on your own account!"

"Oh? Given that you intend to meddle, do not blame my relentlessness!" threatened the scoundrel, waving his pistol arrogantly, frowning, "You will fall before James Wilkes Oswald's bullets!" Saying that, he instantly turned his cold, light-reflecting gun to the blond girl's heart and pulled the trigger.

The dead-fish-eyed boy was frightened and wanted to yank the gunner down, but he could not due to his weak body. The next scene, however, surprised him: as it touched the blonde-haired girl's coat, the bullet lost impetus and lifelessly fell on the ground, uttering a dull, failed wail, just like fire encountering drikold. Seeing this scene, the scoundrel went panicky, held his pistol fast and continuously shot at the blonde–haired girl, but the latter merely smiled gently and contemptuously, waved her arm, letting bullets fell to the ground like raindrops, giving out crisp sounds one by one.

"Freak! Freak!" yelled the scoundrel in growing panic and terror, covering his face with two hands. The blonde–haired girl seemed no concern on his comment, but just said calmly and excitedly,

"Stop!"

Saying that, she firmly aimed her golden hand at the gangster's face and cast Sunbeam from her hand. The gangster had no time to turn back his face, lost his consciousness and fainted on the ground.

The dead–fish–eyed boy was a little surprised but turned quiet at once and slowly rose to his feet with his hands. Glaring at that queer but beautiful girl, he faintly sensed that the blonde–haired girl possessed some charisma – some charisma he hadn't seen in others.

Her warm voice was heard, "Are you OK?"

"Well, I am. I am safe and sound, " replied the calm boy pointing the gangster fainting on the ground, then made some faces sadly, "but what about him?"

"I have my own way to dispose him. What a pity," sighed the blonde–haired girl regretfully, looking at the unfortunate scoundrel, "he could have been a good guy."

"Maybe it is too difficult for him to be good." said the contemplating dead–fish–eyed boy leaning on the wall, his left hand supporting his cheek, "There exists few true good and bad men, but common folks are many. They go with the tide in usual times but expose their fangs for self–defense at critical moments – that's why they hurt each other."

"No!" argued the suddenly indignant blonde–haired girl, two fists swinging in the air violently, biting her lips. Despite her mask, the boy still found firmness in her blue big eyes, "Most people are kind, what you've met are just a minority!" She ground her teeth, seemingly unwilling to believe the boy's values.

"Well, no more quarrels, I want to go home." said the boy dryly. He then walked downstairs with his right hand holding the railing, leaving the blonde–haired girl dully standing on the stair.

The dead–fish–eyed boy walked to the entrance of the building, suddenly turned back as if he had remembered something, smiled to the blonde–haired girl, and told his rescuer, "But I want to thank you anyway. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for letting me see the sunshine."

"Thank you too." replied the blonde–haired girl as if she were finally satisfied with his answer.

The boy walked out of the abandoned building murmuring with a low voice, "It is so happy to know nothing ..."

* * *

The sun was about to set. On the sun–shone golden street Kousei waited for Kaori anxiously, strolling here, holding a nearby tree with his right hand from time to time to keep himself from falling, murmuring, "Where is she? Why? Is something wrong? No ..."

At the moment that he could wait no longer and was about to set out into the alley for Kaori, the familiar blonde–haired girl finally ran out of the alley and happily waved her hands to him.

"Sorry for spending too much time and letting you worry." said Kaori apologetically.

"All right, as long as you're all right," Kousei said leniently. Noting Kaori's slight depression, he asked with concern, "What's the matter, Kaori? You looked not so good. "

"Nothing, all's well." smiled Kaori optimistically, totally forgetting the unpleasant experience just now, "After all, I now have nothing to fear." Sh stretched her arm toward the sky, happily stood in place and turned a few turns as if performing on the stage, and shouted:

"I'll keep pursuing light!"

"So luminous ..." admired Kousei.

Kaori then did not know that the way to the light was much more rugged than what she thought.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 4**

Kousei walked comfortably on his way home, enjoying the beautiful scenery around him. Golden sunset and scarlet glow reflected each other, like candles about to go out, showing a sad but grand beauty. Trees beside streets still didn't sprout, but their bald limb were thick and high, like runners standing on the starting line, waiting for the signal of spring. Appreciating such a prospering scene, Kousei couldn't help thinking of the sunset he and Kaori witnessed fiver days ago.

There was no one with him; Sawabe Tsubaki had clubs this afternoon, so she was not able to go home with him. Kousei, however, felt no loneliness, since he knew that there was always someone with him; his parents, Auntie Hiroko, Tsubaki, Watari, Takeshi and Emi, Nagi, audience rooting for him silently, and Kaori. Wherever he went, they seemed to be before his eyes, in every green leaf and every beam of sunshine.

Kousei grew bored and took his phone from his bag, walking while holding the phone with his left hand and swiping his right index finger on the screen, browsing current news. Suddenly, he was hooked by a peculiar piece of news:

"Sun the Superhero Saved Three Girls from a Fire"

"Sun? What's that?" Kousei widened his eyes immediately and clicked that piece of news; it was accompanied by a picture of a burning skyscraper and a blond girl dressed in strange clothes, flying out of the smoky building window, seemingly holding something in her arms. Kousei widened his eyes even more and read on:

"Last night, the mysterious Sun who perplexed the whole city rescued three girls from a burning high building located in the municipal center. Three rescued girls are now safe and sound.

At 19:00 last night, an insurance company on the 30th floor of the building caught fire due to aging lines, the fire then rapidly spread to the whole building. Most people in the building was successfully evacuated within 10 minutes, but three girls on 36th floor was trapped on that floor. Sun flew into the building from a window at this moment and saved three girls.

It is reported that the rescued were all students of Class L450 of New North extra–curricular tutorship organization on the 36th floor, and they then were having class at the tutorship organization. Their teachers left the building at 18:45 to buy dinner, so three students had self–study in the classroom. Fire alerts on every floor went off upon the building catching fire, but girls failed to hear alerts on the 36th floor then immediately got trapped by smoke in the classroom.

'We turned quite flustered when we saw thick smoke coming under the door, ran to the window and popped our heads out. Then we saw the whole building burning and became more afraid,' Tsubasa(alias), one of the rescued recalled, 'Erena(alias) rushed to the window, screeched with panic and waved her hands, trying to attract people's attention, while Anju(alias) fell down on her knees, hands together devoutly, praying for God to save us.

Firefighters and fire fighting trucks arrived at the scene instantly, but because the fire was too big and there was no available fire hydrant nearby, they could only discuss countermeasures while shouting at the girls above, trying to calm them down. At this pivotal moment, Sun showed up in vicinity, flew into the smoky window and put three girls onto the ground one by one.

'We were anxious then but could not conceive of any idea,' a firefighter, who asked not to be named, recalled, 'Thanks to Sun who flew into the building gallantly, three girls' lives are intact. I reckon that we all owe her a thank.'

Since her debut six days ago, this mysterious superhero has saved 42 persons in the city, including Kato Megumi, the director of a well–known game club and Hikigaya Hachiman, the famous Twitter blogger. According to people saved by her, Sun is a blonde–haired woman wearing a mask and an odd attire. They all recalled that Sun had some strong powers, including invulnerability to swords and pellets and formidable agility, but she was also gentle, optimistic and charismatic in some way.

'She was literally ... as sunny as the sun itself,' Kato Megumi recalled the first encounter of her and Sun, still excited, closing my eyes from time to time, "Had it not been for her, I would have perished under the knife. I really felt that she and me were quite different: I was so weak, but she was so strong ... Now Tomoya, my fans and myself all liked Sun. She is so luminous.'

At the time of this press release was released, there were about 500 existing groups of Sun's fans on the Internet, the largest of them being the Sun Fans' Federation, which has 50,000 Twitter followers. The Federation declared on its official Twitter that Sun is 'the woman symbolizing liberty.'

Not all, however, approves Sun. In an interview with a reporter, Hakigaya Hachiman argued that Sun 'knows nothing on reality', her actions 'not worth promoting.' Other also expressed concern on Sun's extremist deeds, calling her an 'arrogant anarchist.'

It is reported that three rescued girls were all safe, sound, and Sun's fans now. 'When Sun hugged me, she told me firmly that God is unreliable and only one can save himself or herself.' Anju said, 'Although I disagree with her, I still like to thank her for saving my life.'"

"'The woman symbolizing liberty'? Ha, so funny ..." Kousei smiled with his eyes closed, then opened another website and typed 'Sun superhero' in the search box with his fingers and swiping, browsing Sun' s deeds and her fans' groups with interest, without knowing that the danger was approaching.

"Sunny, optimistic, innocent ... Why, it feels a little like Kaori," He whispered to himself, and immediately closed his eyes and shook his head, "Impossible. This is incredible. Kaori can't be so powerful."

He shook his head gently, walked forward with a smile, and suddenly found something moving behind the tree.

"En? What was tha..."

A few chilling black tentacles suddenly sprang out from behind the tree. These tentacles, which looked as thick as oil, had no fixed form, and danced strangely in the air, screeching at Kousei. An eerie cold wind whistled past, and Kousei's face was pale, his body collapsing on the ground, feebly stretching out his trembling hands in an attempt to resist the black Death. Before he could shout, however, he was strapped by the tentacles of terror, and was immediately dragged behind the tree.

There was only dead silence.

* * *

"I have _so_ many fans ..."

Kaori was playing her phone, sitting on the bed in her room, mouth agape in surprise, blue eyes as big as two wells.

Her room was beautiful but quite untidy: two ends of the bed were decorated with curved gold patterns, but the light pink quilts and blue sheets on the bed were crumpled together. The pale yellow hanger on the wall was as beautiful as a cherry tree in full bloom, but the school uniform and other clothes were in disarray like crazy weeds. The floor was white and smooth, but Kaori's slippers was uninhibitedly scattered on that, seeming a little inconsistent. Nevertheless, Kaori felt that her room was very beautiful. After all, it was her own room, her home – far better than the lifeless, pale ward.

Kaori comfortably sat on the bed in her loose light–colored pajama, stretching her arms and seeing the bright and large full moon outside the window. She slowly swiped her finger on the phone screen, looking at her rising fans with amazement:

"My dear ... I have 50 thousand fans! They collect my photos, write articles that praise me, write songs for me, and call me 'the woman symbolizing liberty'!"

She felt funny and couldn't help crazily laughing, almost falling on the floor, "Not bad for a person born on July 4th. It seems that I really have a lot of charm." said Kaori jocularly, "So many people stand for me, they believe in justice! Er, the Twitter blogger against me may be disappointed." She pouted angrily like a goldfish, dissatisfied with the young man who dared to refute her face–to–face.

Twitter's interface on the screen was suddenly replaced by a strange phone number. Kaori pressed the answering key with amazement, and a hasty female voice was heard in the microphone:

"Hello, is this Miyazono Kaori?"

"It is, what's the matter?" asked Kaori, puzzled, her eyes as large as bells.

The female voice calmed down but was also a little restless, "I am Seto Hiroko, one of Kousei's mother's friends. Is Kousei at your home?"

"He's not in my house now, Auntie Hiroko. What happened?" Kaori replied calmly but with some unease in his heart. Her Sun intuition told her that something might have happened to Kousei.

Hiroko's next words corresponded with Kaori's judgment:

"Kousei got lost!"

"Ah?!" With a cry of alarm, Kaori was stunned spoke not.

"I called Kousei five times at 7 o'clock tonight to talk about the piano contest, but he didn't answer it. I was afraid that there might be an accident, rushed to his home and broke in, but found that there was no one in it, and I couldn't find it nearby. I have just called Tsubaki and Watari, and they all said that Kousei was not at their homes. Watari gave me your phone number and asked me to call you to ask." Hiroko calmed herself as she kept recounting, "Now it seems that Kousei truly got lost."

"Need I help you find him?" Kaori asked anxiously to Hiroko on the other side of the phone.

"No, thanks. I'll call the police immediately. Do not worry," Hiroko comforted Kousei's girlfriend on the other side of the phone, "we can always find him. After all, he is important to all of us. Do not panic, this is not your fault. Have a good sleep."

"O ... Okay." Kaori replied lightly, her face dull and her pupils dead. "Goodbye, Auntie Hiroko."

She mechanically threw her cell phone to the other side of the bed, then collapsed on the bed, her hands covering her face, and talking to herself as if her soul were lost, "How? How could Kousei get lost? Why is him gone? Does he have an accident? No, no!" Kaori couldn't help sobbing, crystal tears trickling out of the big blue eyes and onto the pink pillow, "Kousei sama, do not leave me! I cannot lost him again! I ... I must protect him!"

Kaori rose up to her feet, fists clenched and biting lips, "I must guard Kousei! I cannot let him have perils!" Speaking, she stretched out her right hand firmly to the ceiling, clenched her right fist, and shouted in her maximum voice:

"Awaken, Sun!"

In the center of the room appeared a dazzling golden glow that overshadowed everything in the room and then dissipated. Kaori in Sun fighting suit bit her golden lips, fists clenched more tightly, then jumped on the balcony with one step, forcefully pushed windows open and flew into the night sky like a beam.

Now she was thinking of one thing only:

"I must guard Kousei!"

* * *

The dark sky was moon–free and star–free, like a bottomless black hole devouring every tree and grass on the ground. A path pointed straight into the distance, houses on sides of the road were overcast by night. The only source of light were the dim street lamps on sides of the road, shimmering strangely, like C'Thun's eyes.

Kousei's home was a stout two–stories villa, all rooms' lights were out, and the whole house looked as scary and ominous as the lair of darkness. Sun flew to Kousei's home like a firefly, slowly landed on one streetlamp opposite it, and glanced around anxiously with her right hand grabbing the lamp pole. She bit her lips and widened her terribly big pupils but saw no one. Sun could not help but feel that, in this endless and oppressive night, she was like a lonely star, which would be swallowed by the darkness sooner or later.

She shook her head in hope of get rid of her excitement, gradually calmed down and used her keen Sun intuition to explore the surroundings, but sensed no existence of Kousei.

"What?" Sun's eyebrows knitted in a frown. She grabbed her chest with her right hand with panic, grabbing the golden heart–shaped crystal on it nervously, trying to calm her temper. She put her trembling index fingers and middle fingers above her ears, tightly closing her eyes and grinding her teeth, endeavoring to concentrate and detect the vicinity with her Sun intuition. However, despite her best efforts, she still did not sense Kousei.

Sun jumped up from the lamppost in a panic, then lifted her clenched hands upwards, like a rocket frantically shooting toward the city, as if to leap into outer space. The wind roared in her ear, the night sky seemed more and more unfathomable, but the sun did not shrink a bit but just held her two fists tighter. The big blue eyes did not blink and look steadfastly forward, as if its owner were David facing Goliath.

After flying a distance, Sun stopped in midair, looking down at the the city infused with lights at night. Only she knew that behind such prosperity were uncountable dirty and dark deeds: robbery, abuse, fire, and even homicide. But now Sun had no mind for them, for she had one more important thing to do: to guard her love.

She launched her Sun intuition hastily, her face going anguished and distorted, her forehead perspiring, eyes closed and ears clasped. With her most intense Sun intuition, she searched within 50 km from her - the biggest range of Sun intuition, reciting her "magic words", trying to calm down:

"Eloim Essaim Eloim Essaim please listen to my request!"

However, despite her efforts to calm down and concentrate on searching within 50 kilometers, she could not find Kousei anyway. Sun's face was full of fear, and then she flew about like a headless fly, gnashing her teeth, tears in her eyes. For four hours, Sun had been using Sun's intuition to detect Kousei, but found nothing.

Sun raised her trembling hands, covered her face with them, eyes closed, and seemed unwilling to accept the cold reality: despite her superhuman power, she could not even guard Kousei. Then she let go of herself feebly, falling like an injured bird into a grove below, but feeling no the pain of her body, perhaps because the pain in her soul was overwhelming.

Sun rose to her feet slowly, glancing around the forest with fear as if they would devour her at any time. She stood dully with fear, then knelt down, covered her face with her hands tightly and curled up into a dim starlight. Her yellow cloak dejectedly leaned on her back, as if it had withered. Tears rolled down from behind the golden mask and dropped on the ground like raindrops in a heavy rain. Dejected and powerless sobbing then broke out and devolved into a cry of pain:

"Why ... I can guard the world but not even my love ... Why should I continue to fight at all ... I have tried my best, tried my best ..."

Sobbing grew fainter and finally died out. The kneeling blonde–haired girl spread her hands feebly, collapsed on the ground and lost her consciousness.

* * *

"What?! Kousei was lost?"

Tsubaki covered her mouth with her right hand, her round eyes filled with worry, then couldn't help leaning forward, violently patting her hands on a desk beside which then uttered a sound like a thunder. Neat stationery on the desk twitched in horror, and the quiet textbook even jumped into the air and fell to the ground, making a dull whine.

"How come?" Her eyebrows knitted in a frown, hands covering her cheeks. She asked to the blonde–haired girl before her.

"I got a call last night from Mrs. Hiroko, only to learn that Kousei had not come home last night, nor did he had been at Tsubaki's or Watari's, so he must have been missing." Kaori leaned wearily against the wall, one hand on her head, her head as low as possible, looking at her toes, "Auntie Hiroko has called the police. Have you ever asked Kousei's classmates?" She raised her head wearily, not daring to face two apprehensive pairs of eyes before her.

"We asked all the time in his class yesterday, but nobody saw Kousei after school. According to them, he was not a bit unusual yesterday." Ryota said guiltily as he scratched his head with his right hand. "Had we sent him home, it wouldn't have happened."

"I should have not gone to play baseball! That' s all my fault!" sighed Tsubaki deeply, her forcefully closed eyes leaking tears. "I should have sent him home! How ... how irresponsible I, his sister!" She put hands drooped feebly, unwilling to wipe her tears.

As she spoke, Tsubaki began to sob slowly, tears leaving a few deep traces on her face like a blade. Ryota hurriedly handed over the tissue and comforted as easily as possible, "It's all right, we can always find Kousei ... He'll be all right ... "

"Impossible!" cried Kaori in sudden, despair and anguish.

Tsubaki stopped crying in surprise, and turned her head with Ryota to look towards Kaori, only to find something was wrong with the latter: her big blue eyes had lost their vigor and were covered by a shadow as if they were dead. The blond hair, too, faded somewhat and hung listlessly behind her head. Her body lost its usual vitality, as soft as jelly against the wall, as if it would collapse at any time. The sunny smile always on her face was gone, replaced by endless sorrow and anger, as if about to explode.

"What's the matter, Kaori? Are you all right?" Ryota turned pale in an instant, stretched out a hand in panic and held Kaori's right hand in time to keep her from falling, "Something's wrong with you. Do you need me to call a doctor? " He asked softly to the blonde–haired girl.

"No. I can handle it myself." Without saying a word, Kaori stretched out her soft hand feebly, pushed away Ryota's warm hand, and lowered her head to the distant restroom, as if she were a shadow.

"Is she all right?" Ryota looked at the familiar and unfamiliar figure of the blonde girl, coughed nervously, and turned to Tsubaki.

"Nothing. I think she just needs ... just needs a little time." Tsubaki stroked her chin, looked at the dark end of the far corridor, and said thoughtfully, "After all, sometimes we all want to be alone. It's normal." Suddenly she frowned and rubbed her fingers, "However, this time Kaori seems to be really a bit abnormal."

"What?" Ryota opened his eyes in amazement and asked eagerly.

"Perhaps it was the loss of Kousei that struck her too hard." With a deep sigh, Tsubaki said in a big sister's voice, "I can only speculate like this."

"I can only hope that Kousei may come back."

* * *

Kaori shuffled into the bathroom with her left hand feebly against the wall.

The bathroom was lit with a pale, cold light. The white and repressed walls were spotless, and there were no mosquitoes or flies, as if walls were four giant fly trapping papers that trapped the mosquito Kaori, who could not move or breathe, and had to await her doom. The little bathroom was cold and lifeless, like the hospital morgue, but the girl inside was not yet a corpse – but soon.

Kaori pulled the door of the nearest cubicle with her feeble right hand, shuffled in with her heavy steps. She then pushed the door lightly and noiselessly, slowly reached out her soft left hand and locked the door with a "click". The walls of the cubicle were brown wood, which enveloped her as oppressive as a coffin, locked her tightly inside, devouring her life.

She clasped her hands over her face and squat slowly. Tears trickled down her twisted face, as if her hands could not stop them. Kaori didn't want to cry aloud because she thought she had cried enough last night, and she didn't want anyone to notice her crying and worry about her.

Yet, though she had bitten her lips and tried to cover her face, she could not suppress the deep grief of her heart, nor erase the tears from the sobbing heart. Hands gradually fell feebly from Kaori's face, and finally fell heavily on both sides of the floor, making a dull noise, breaking the dead silence.

Kaori slowly wiped her tears with her hand, and suddenly saw her Kousei appear in front of her. Kousei was handsome in a gray uniform, with big blue eyes and a smile like a blooming flower, lips moving excitedly as if telling her about his thrilling adventure, his happiness of surviving through and how he languished for her. Kaori could not help crying "Kousei!" then sprang forward, not in his warm, soft arms, but on the brown walls of the coffin. She swallowed in pain, blinked, and her love disappeared. It was merely an illusion.

Kaori seemed to discover a trace of hope and suddenly sprang up like a spring, previously dead eyes were immediately effusive with dazzling brilliance, and her floppy blonde hair also regained vigor; she was like an athlete warming up who have been prepared for the next race. Lights above her head were still pale, but they seemed not from hospital morgue but the hall of ancient heroic statues; wood planks around her were still browm, but they seemed also no longer frigid coffin but vivacious laurel trees. She put her clenched fists in front of her chest, and her soft legs immediately became strong and powerful, as if they could kick down all the wood planks, and her face was no longer crying, but smiling firmly.

With a comfortable sigh of relief, Kaori grinned and shouted:

"Good! Kousei ... Kousei is in near!"

Although the hallucination was false, Kaori knew that her Sun intuition was real: she had just clearly sensed that Kousei was now on the rooftop, trapped by a thick, dreaded darkness.

It was the first time since last night that she had sensed Kousei.

Kaori shook her head excitedly and tried to wake herself up. She clenched her fists, opened them again, and then stared closely at her palms. She knew very well that Kousei was not far away from her and was in urgent need of her help.

"Awaken, Sun!"

* * *

Kaori's whole body glowed so strongly that everything seemed to be overshadowed in an instant, and she closed her eyes. Cold wall suddenly became warm, as if they were the indoor heating in winter. Kaori felt like the sun at the moment.

Then there was a loud, stuffy noise from the cubicle, and a door fell to the ground, making a roar. Behind the door stood a blonde–haired girl in Sun fighting suit, her fists clenched, her big blue eyes glaring forward, her whole body glistening with gold, and even her blond hair seemed to be alive.

Kousei almost lay on the ground with his hands on his sides and felt like a marshmallow. He closed his eyes tightly, afraid to open them and look into the monstrous darkness before him.

He remembered the terrible things that had happened yesterday: the black tentacles that had burst out from behind the trees, the endless darkness that had been drawn behind them, the eerie, sinister laughter that had been ringing in his ears, and the endless, hellish torture. This terror shadow seems to have its own foibles: it, like a naughty cat which brutally treats an unfortunate mouse, did not enjoy its prey straightforward, but slowly put the boy in its palm to play with him until it no longer had interest, let him say goodbye to and have one last look at the world, then put him to death.

At least it would be better for me to lose consciousness for a while, to faint, or even to be killed, than to suffer. Kousei thought.

In this endless torture, Kousei constantly heard the dark chilling laughter in his ears as same as laughter in horror movies. He implored, even pleaded with tears to let him die sooner, but the darkness gave only a cold, impatient answer:

"Wait a minute, this will end in an instant. I am not only to torture you but also your dear ones: your family, classmates and friends are all looking for you. Ah! How moving! But they are all paying futile efforts, ha ..."

Every time the darkness came to this point, Kousei's blood boomed, and he could not stop trying to stretch out his weak fist and punch the mean fellow. However, every time he was about to reach out his arms, the darkness seemed to know his mind, stretched out a slippery tentacle to tie his arm, and, by the way, another slippery tentacle tied his mouth as punishment. It was not until he was about to suffocate that the darkness let go unhurriedly. After a few times, Kousei even felt that he smelled a strong smell of fish.

Now the darkness placed him politely on the rooftop – and even generously asked him to choose a comfortable place – and served as the host of his body's farewell ceremony. According to the darkness, the rooftop was chosen by him with much consideration because his favorite idol group once rehearsed on it. He spoke with emotion, and though he had no face, his voice was full of excitement, and with two slippery tentacles, he even made a funny gesture, shouting "Nickel, Cobalt, Nickel" and so on shamelessly. Kousei covered his mouth with much effort, almost laughed and felt that if the darkness used to be a human, he must have been an obese otaku who majored in chemistry.

Although he did not open his eyes, Kousei still felt the warmth of the sun through his body; though he was wearing a single coat, he felt it was a little too hot. However, at the thought that he was about to die under a strange tentacle and that there was no one around to save him, the boy shivered and felt that he would be too cold to even put on his jacket. He clumsily put his hand behind his back and pulled a yellow picture of his mother from his pocket, who was smiling and looking at her son sadly.

He did not shed tears but just twitched his lips like a stranded goldfish, whispering,

"Mother, meet in the heaven..."

As soon as the voice came down, there was a bright sunlight in front of him, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. The light warmed him, protected him from the darkness, and seemingly saved him from the inevitable. Kousei thought that it was only his hallucination and knew that he was going to die tragically today. He smiled and shook his head, but then opened his mouth in amazement, and even his nostrils seemed to be larger: the warm light in front of him was not an illusion. On the contrary, it was real.

Kousei was speechless in amazement, holding out the glaring light with his hand, raised his head a little, carefully squinted his eyes at the source of the light and was startled again: there stood a blonde girl behind the chilling darkness, with wide blue eyes and unblinking eyes at the monster in front of her, with a firm faith in herself. Her whole body seemed to be covered with golden brilliance, in sharp contrast to darkness: a golden mask, a golden upper body, and a golden skirt, all of which reflected the sunlight but seemed brighter than the sun in the sky.

The blonde–haired girl twitched her lips and shouted in loud and indignant voice,

"Unleash him!"

The darkness got surprised but grew calm again, eyeing the girl in peculiar clothing with much interest, uttered a crazy laughter, then provoked daringly and contemptuously, "Lady, I am massaging him! Your body is so perfect, so you can try it if you want! However, I am afraid that you may perish after my massage ... Ha..."

The girl had thought seriously about how to free Kousei from his claws, and almost laughed at his funny remark. But she quickly remembered her original purpose, bit her lips firmly, clenched her fists and calmly said,

"Light will punish you!"

As she spoke, she leveled her left arm, slowly opened her left hand, carefully aimed one eye at the center of the darkness, and then motionlessly lifted her left arm, casting Sunbeam from her hand.

Kousei was blinded by beams and tried hard to use his other senses. As the light faded away, he slowly opened his eyes and saw a scene that surprised him.

The blonde–haired girl in the distance stood there straight, firing high–intensity light beams alternately between her left and right hands in all directions, as if someone would turn to ashes as soon as coming into contact with them. Again and again, however, they were dodged by darkness: he moved like a black bolt of lightning, passing by again and again with the blonde–haired girl's high–intensity beams. On several occasions the darkness had been almost struck on the head by a fierce light beam, but he gave only a contemptuous laugh, disappeared suddenly, and, after a few seconds, stood unhurt in his place again, just as he could travel between three–dimensional and four–dimensional spaces.

Kousei held his mouth in amazement, his eyes fixed on the two mysterious people in front of him. The darkness was surrounded by a cloud of cold, she was surrounded by endless warmth; it was as deep and dark as an abyss, and she was as innocent and bright as the sun. Looking at the dazzling light in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief and slowly leaned against the sun–warmed barbed wire on the rooftop, feeling that he had finally been saved.

After much futile efforts, there was a trace of anxiety and impatience in the jumping, determined eyes of the blonde–haired girl, and the beam of light in her hand gradually dispersed with her distraction, some even at the other end of the darkness. The girl could not help frowning, crazily breathing to calm down, but exposed her flaw.

The darkness was acutely aware of the girl's flaw, and then sprang out like an arrow with howling cold wind, and eight sticky, disgusting tentacles stretched from behind his body to the girl's waist in front of it. The darkness was yelling triumphantly in a hilarious and insidious tone:

"Smile!"

Kousei saw this scene, close his eyes in horror, but did not have the courage to protect the girl, only with two hands nervously covered his head, curled up in the dark corner of the wall and said, "I still can't escape fate ... Let me die..."

However, the cunning darkness still failed.

The blonde–haired girl had long noticed the sudden attack of darkness, and could not help but become more flustered, frantically releasing the maximum intensity of the beam straight ahead, while trying to gaze at the darkness with large eyes. But the latter was so swift that the girl could not even see a shadow of him. The girl could not help but panic, and light beams from her hands became a rainstorm, but the darkness was not even struck by a drop of rain.

The girl suddenly closed her big blue eyes tightly, and her hands stopped the release of the beam of light but against both ends of her brain, Her brain full of Sun wisdom were at full speed, trying to predict where the darkness was in front of her with Sun intuition. The darkness saw her stop releasing the beam of light, believing that she had surrendered in humiliation, and hugged her head to escape reality, then quickened his pace and whistled arrogantly.

Just as his tentacles were about to reach out to the blonde–haired girl, the latter suddenly opened her big blue eyes, stared straight at the triumphant darkness as if it were a deep abyss, then raised her hands firmly, aiming slowly at the darkness. He did not see her eyes and posture clearly until he rushed in front of her, suddenly sensed something was wrong, and immediately howled loudly in an attempt to withdraw from the danger zone. But it was too late.

For a moment the great light surrounded the darkness, and Kousei was forced to close his eyes again. By the time he opened his eyes, he and the golden–haired girl were left on the roof. The darkness had been destroyed, not a bit of ashes left. The spring breeze was blowing warm beside him, as if celebrating his survival.

Kousei was speechless in surprise, gazing at Sun before him with his mouth open, She waited softly for him without a word, smiling. She is so dazzling, Kousei thought.

"Thank you ... Thank you for saving me." Kousei said softly to his rescuer, covered his face, wept with joy, and cried slowly. Sun approached him slowly, then raised a hand and stroked his head as gently as the mother did to her baby. The boy was stunned, his hands stopped in midair, and even tears on his face seemed to stop flowing.

"Okay, stop crying, you are safe now." The gentle and sunny voice comforted Kousei and smoothed the wound in his heart. He felt as if he were in the sun, smiled through tears, nodded firmly to Sun in front of him, and turned away wistfully.

Sun smiled at the distant familiar figure, and suddenly there was a trace of concern on her face. She whispered to herself, "Kousei can't be by my side forever I'll tell him! He'll never be alone again – he'll know that I'll protect him."

Saying that, she held her fists firmly, bit her lips and made her mind, shouted to the figure before her:

"Kousei!"

The boy who was about to open the door of the rooftop was surprised and turned slowly, looking at the strange but somewhat familiar girl with an incredible expression, as if appreciating a lost treasure.

"Why do you know my name?"

Sun lifted a hand over her head and slowly wiped the golden crystal on her head as if to wipe it brighter, "Because," She made a pause, then swallowed hard, leaning forward, and stretched out her golden hands to Kousei as if about to hold him, then turned embarrassed and head down, and said word by word:

"Because – you – are – my – love."

"Who are you on earth?" Kousei hurriedly turned round and looked carefully at the golden–haired girl, his face full of deep doubts as if facing a familiar but difficult math problem.

Suddenly he noticed something and then shook his head with his hands with great frequency, trying to get rid of the idea: blonde–haired, girl, optimistic, sunny ... No, that's impossible ... How could it be her? How could it be her...

Sun's gentle and eager words pulled him back to reality:

"Because – I am Miyazono Kaori!"

Kousei was so frightened that he nearly fall on the ground with his greatest strength to hold the railing. He raised his head slowly and unbelievably, saw the naive and firm face under the sun's golden mask, and exclaimed in his highest voice in his life.

She _was_ Miyazono Kaori.

With a smile on her face, Kaori looked at Kousei who was about to faint, and joked mischievously and gently,

"Kousei sama, can't you even recognize me! I am your – best friend!"

* * *

"Are you sure you can carry the burden? You are too fragile."

Kousei heavily said to the girl wearing a golden mask beside him.

He now was sitting on one side of the rooftop, hands neatly on laps, his back not leaning on barbed wire but erecting straight. By contrast, the girl sat more casually: she leaned lazily against the barbed wire, her hands stretching out, and her big blue eyes kept looking at the sun, as if not paying attention to him.

After a long conversation, Kousei finally realized what was going on, but he still didn't want Kaori to do what only a Metropolitan journalist and a Queens high school student would do.

"No, no way! I cannot lose you anymore." Kousei eagerly approached, trying to raise his voice so that Sun – or Kaori – would consider his opinion. "Do not do this again for my sake!"

Kaori immediately stretched out her right hand and slashed it hard on Kousei's head, and he began to cry out in pain.

"Do not worry for me, Kousei sama. I have so much power – so much to guard the world! You have seen how I dealt with him, right? As for me, I will take care of myself." Kaori smiled and made a happy face.

"So ... What ... if ... you ... died?" Kousei touched his nose, was silent for a long time before he dared to propose this serious question.

"Don't worry, I will not die." Kaori said funnily, "I have much energy in my body – so much that they can kill me ten times!" Kaori could not help laughing, her face full of happiness and satisfaction, like a child playing, "As long as the sun in the sky does not go out, Sun on the earth will not go out."

"Okay ... That's your business." Kousei sighed reluctantly then said, "Do not be so reckless hereafter. By the way, feel free to ask me for help."

Kaori jumped up excitedly like a spring and pressed her body directly on Kousei, "Ha, so good! Kousei, you are indeed a worthy friend!"

The sun in the sky was warm on the rooftop, on this girl and this boy; the sun on the earth was warm on the earth, and on everyone.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 5**

Thousands of stars were scattered on the night sky, like chess pieces and jewels.

Celestial objects thousands and billions of light years far from the Earth emit electromagnetic waves at various frequencies to every direction, endeavoring to light up the whole gloomy and treacherous dark forest with their feeble light, but always despondently find their light receiving no response; maybe it got lost amid the labyrinth of galaxies, maybe it exhausted its strength on the way and died, maybe it was ambushed and brutally massacred by the darkness, leaving even no carcass.

Luckily, after uncountable hardships, the tired light finally reached the solar system, got adopted by the light–loving Earth, passed through ionosphere, middle layer, stratosphere and troposphere, and rests on everyone; it becomes common folks' chatting topics, witnesses of couples swearing to the heaven, and the guiding light of astronomers seeking the truth. Starlight also reaches the Earth's surface during the day, but is often ignored because of too bright solar rays. As soon as the sun exits the stage reluctantly, leaving only a black hole of darkness, stars will emerge from nowhere and hold their grand display of fireworks.

Now, they were shining upon a girl in an alley.

The girl's long, black hair lay quietly and gently behind her head, reflecting weak starlight afar and bright streetlights above her head. Under her large and wild forehead stood two thick eyebrows as if they were drawn, and two glistening eyes like gems, seemingly thinking of bad ideas. Although the summer was far from coming, she was still grasping a small, jadeite folding fan, fanning it with pretended gentleness while crowing about her family's abundant wealth with pretended calmness.

She strolled in this quiet and serene alley, looking up at the thousands of bright stars in the night sky. She sometimes stopped for no reason, laughed and patted her thighs, sometimes stood still quietly and devoutly, murmuring to the stars, praying for her happiness, sometimes lowered her head deeply, bent down and sneezed loudly.

While the black–haired girl was seeking Taurus in the starry sky, a ringing of the telephone came from her trousers' pocket and interrupted her thoughts. She puckered up her lips in anger, then slowly took her phone out of her pocket, glanced carelessly at the number above, and gave a happy shout, smiled and pressed the answer button hard.

A soft female voice came out of the phone, "Kongo–san!"

The black–haired girl held the phone tighter as if it were priceless jewels, "Ah, Misaka–san! I've always been expecting your call!"

The girl on the other end of the phone, known as "Misaka–san," paused, a little dissatisfied with Kongo's excessive enthusiasm, but began chatting with her anyway, "What's it like there, Kongo–san?"

"I reckon ... Just like our Academy City!" Kongo became interested as she heard this question, and could not help garrulously describing it to the girl on the other end of the phone, with as many details as in Raphael's _The School of Athens_ , "There are a wide variety of food shops here, delicious, affordable, with particularly thoughtful service! Speaking of that, I even bought a sack of canelé for you! I tasted some of canelé, found it delicious and much cheaper than in Academy City, so I brought it back to you," Kongo was so touched by what she had done for her friends that she couldn't help covering her mouth with one hand and laughing.

"Well, the fox shows her tail again." said Misaka sarcastically on the other end of the phone, and Kongo could conceive of her countenance of disgust, "What if I dislike it?"

"Er ... This ..." Kongo was deflated instantly as if she had been hit with a needle, making an awkward sound of "uh–huh ah," frowning tight, sweating and thinking about how to fix it, but finally decided to shun the topic. "Never mind! By the way, did you know that there happened an odd thing?"

"What odd thing?" Misaka sneezed as talking, seemingly growing tired of Kongo's queries.

"Didn't you watch the news? Recently a superhero self–called 'Sun' suddenly showed up from nowhere. She can fly in the sky, fire light beams from her hands, and knock down a gangster with one blow! This guy flies in the city every day to deal with bad guys," The tone of Kongo's voice rose with excitement, and her lips grew even larger, "and, you don't know that, she now has more than fifty thousand fans on Twitter!"

"A superhero? She sounds like no esper from Academy City." Misaka's measured tone of voice was so full of doubt that Kongo could even perceive her puzzled facial expression, "But, as what you have said, she turns out to be a good guy! It isn't uncommon for a kind person to have so many fans." Misaka gave a gentle sigh of relief. Although she pretend to be unconcerned, her heart beat incessantly, and she almost wanted to fly to the place to meet the legendary "Sun."

"Ah, you know what, you are similar with her in some ways," Kongo shook off her right hand, which had been on one side of her body, wriggled and joked easily, imagining Misaka's ecstatic facial expression upon her praise, "you and her are both real superheroes!"

Misaka's voice trembled, face as red as traffic lights, defend herself while stammering, "I'm not ... I don't have ... I can't match her ..."

"Ah!"

A treacherous shriek came from the other side of the phone all of a sudden. Misaka trembled in horror, realizing that there might be an accident befalling Kongo, and forced herself to listen to the receiver, only to hear a dead silence, as if the phone were not in an alley, but a hospital morgue.

"Kongo–san? What? Kongo–san? What?"

Misaka twitched her lips, held the microphone forcefully, and fearfully asked in a low voice to the other end of the phone, which was still silent, without even the sound of Kongo's body falling on the ground. She then opened her small pupils in horror, as if she were dead, and hoarse and desperate screams echoed throughout the city:

"Kongo–san!"

* * *

After the big firework show the stars stepped out, leaving only a full moon hanging in the midnight sky. The cold and white moonlight laid on the park like shroud, and cherry trees with light pink petals fluttering lively during the day seemed to have withered; the swing, which came to life due to naughty kids, became so lifeless that it seemed to be a deadly guillotine; cats fond of singing and dancing at midnight to seek new life were all gone, knowing that tonight's park was already rented by werewolves and zombies. There were no petals on the ground, no sound in the air, as if there were a power that wanted to clean up the park. Most of the living creatures dared not step within 50 meters.

Except for the faint yellow spot on the bench.

The vision draws closer, the spot of light becomes clearer and clearer, and it can be seen that it was a blonde–haired girl in peculiar attires. She sat motionless on the park bench in a golden mask, a light yellow skirt and a pair of golden knee boots, like a wax figure. Her hands fell feebly on her legs, her long golden hair painfully pulled behind her head, her big blue eyes full of loss and grief, as if she would cry at any moment. She was our aforementioned superhero, Sun.

Naturally, wherever Sun goes, it will be illuminated by vibrant light as if it is always spring. This time, however, was the exception: her tiny, frail body, which glowed like a firefly, could not illuminate the park as lifeless as a graveyard. In the bleak and gloomy white moonlight, she also seemed to be converted into a part of it.

Sun slowly bent down, buried her head deep in her chest, covered her face with trembling hands, and seemed unwilling to face the hideous park and the dark night sky. She then slowly raised her head, looked helplessly at the moon of death, and spread her hands feebly again.

The tears kept rolling in the big blue eyes, and then seemed tired of the eyes, and ran down her face like a stream to the edge of her stiff yellowish lips. Sun rendered no resistance: she neither shook her head violently, threw her tears to the ground like rain drops, nor stick out her tongue, and tried to lick the tears hanging alone at the edge of her lips. They were allowed to flow straight into her mouth instead, and her tongue and heart at the same time felt deep bitterness and unspeakable grievance.

She lowered her head sadly, pretended to look around the park with ease, then a bitter quarrel that had occurred here seven hours before suddenly struck her mind. Tears that had just disappeared welled up again, cutting deep scars on her face and heart, then fell onto the ground like a broken wire.

She was not like that seven hours ago.

She stopped excitedly on the path where she often met with Kousei, her young heart beating and waiting for her love. She sometimes reached out her right hand to her forehead as a salutation, leaning forward involuntarily, overlooking the distant horizon, hoping to see the familiar figure in black–framed glasses; she sometimes walked nervously up and down with small steps, even sweating on her forehead; she sometimes clapped her hand with a sudden smile, imagining the smile that Kousei would greet her this afternoon and the good time they would spend together.

Her good wishes, however, came to nothing today.

"Explain it to me. What's up?"

Kousei stood erect, staring at the golden–haired girl before him with a stern and sad look. The latter's face was puzzled, her mouth glared astonishingly, left hand scratching the back of her head, as if there were thousands of lice there, and her right hand hung morosely on one side of her body. Kousei leaned forward angrily, brow furrowing like a hemp, and his hair bristling with anger, "Kaori, I said this would get out of control!"

"Out of control? Why didn't I know?" Kaori shivered and tried to justify herself in dismay, her hands on the sides of her face involuntarily, her ruddy lips rounded into an "O", and her lively eyes widened in amazement.

Kousei was still resigned and indignant, glaring at Kaori's eyes speechlessly, and the latter's legs came to quiver; although the winter had passed, she still felt frigidness over her body, as if the winter just pretended to surrender.

Kousei was biting his lips feebly, slowly took the phone out of his pocket, with a dark blue case that reminded Kaori of deep ocean and its residents: cruel and lethal sharks, the sunken ship that never saw sunshine and the eight–clawed krakens ready to ambush unfortunate preys. Kaori shivered slightly, then put her hands back to the sides of her body with feigned calmness, perusing the colorful screen Kousei showed before her face, trying to figure the truth of Kousei's sudden going angry and shivering.

But it took no time for her to discover the truth: after only three seconds, her hands, hanging on both sides of her body, were raised in horror, then nervously grabbing her dough–like cheeks. Her pupils were as open as if they were dead.

What she saw was a piece of news that read,

"The Criminal 'Sun' Has Brutally Slain 84, The Police Are Pursuing Her in Full Force"

The news was accompanied by a photo of a girl in peculiar attires, looking similar with Kaori in Sun fighting suit – especially long boots and the heart–shaped crystal on her chest, but the former was not in golden but creepy black: black mask, black pupils, black hair and black crown on her hand, all cold and creepy.

She was hovering over the brightly lit, crowded city, glaring at the light below with her deep, unfathomable eyes like Satan envying and mocking humankind. The demonic Sun was surrounded by a thin, black, ominous mist, as if it were her faithful and devious servant ready to plunge the city into a dark abyss.

"You see," Kousei suddenly said to Kaori. He then sighed, shook his hand, swallowed and went on, "Three days, 84 people, all fell cold and dead, long and deep scars over their bodies, their eyes empty, their lips still saying "help" ..."He trembled and raised his voice, "What's worse, the criminal signed on every corpse! All words cut out of the face with a knife are legible: 'Sun.'"

At this point, Kousei dashed excitedly toward where Kaori stood straight, her hands frozen in the air. He then grabbed her slender, pale wrists, and shook her weak body with great force as if he were interrogating a criminal, "What does that guy have to do with you? Did you massacre them in the name of good? I should have prevented you from doing such crazy deeds!"

"I ... I have no idea! No idea at all! Humbug!" Kaori suddenly looked up, her eyes full of grievances and anger, frowning and walking away, her feet on the ground making cold sound. Her astonishment grew into bitter anger against her lover's deep, unnamed doubt she could neither imagine nor stand, and she was even about to slap her left hand on his face to let him chill out, "What are you talking about! Are you mad just for that!"

"So why didn't you stop her! Stop this thrilling devil!" Kousei was a little surprised and fearful, but he did not yield one step but stood erect, facing Kaori too pissed off to keep it cool, then spread her hands and scolded, "Didn't you say you have Sun intuition? Why? Are you her?!"

"No way! No way! I can't sense her! It's not my fault. It's not my fault!" Kaori turned more indignant, put her face to Kousei's face and yelled at his ears madly, spilling her saliva into them, "and my suit is yellow, her suit is black! Are you color–blind!"

"Are you sure you have only one form?" Kousei clutched Kaori's arm tightly with his left hand, as if she were not his lover but a heinous murderer, holding his black–framed glasses with his right hand with feign coolness, trying to frighten her in advance, "You have covered up the first secret for so long, and now do not cover up the second one!"

"What secrets! No! I have always been your confidant! Kousei sama! Kousei! Kousei!" Kaori defended herself to the boy in front of her hoarsely, hands stretching to him, tears rolling down from her eyes as if they were sorrowful as well. She just wanted to know the most intimate stranger, to gain his trust once again, to jump with him again into the cold stream, to date him again in the heavy snow, to walk with him again in the setting sun. Ironically, the sun that witnessed boundless joy yesterday was forced to witness the infinite pain of separation.

However, her pleas and efforts were only rewarded by his remorseless and dark shadow, like a mother who brutally abandoned her child, and a cold response that seemed from a stranger:

"Adieu!"

Kaori lowered her head down in dejection, her arms as heavy as thousands of tons of lead, knelt down on the golden path, tears pouring down her face alone, as if they were pouring down her pain.

Now she could not help feeling a pathetic, thick wall between Kousei and her.

* * *

"What?!"

Sun immersed in sadness suddenly heard a slight but eerie voice, shook her head warily and, with one hand on the black curly railing of the bench and one on the brown and elegant bench, stood up. She looked round, alert and careful, her eyes as large as brass bells, turning slowly to find the source of the strange sound, only to see the pale moonlight and the ominous park.

Sun sat down nervously, grabbed the dark railing of the bench and relaxed her legs. She nibbled her lips and closed her eyes, her brain racing to sense the source of the sound, but got no result after a long time. She sensed nothing but the morose flowers and the static swing around her.

She put her hands gently across her lap, breathing slowly, gently touching her heart, trying to calm down, squeeze out a smile as easily as she could. Silently she thought, "Is that wind? Maybe that was my hallucination. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay."

Whoosh!

A thorny, thick, slimy dark tentacle sprang out of the narrow slit of the left rear of the bench and, like a black fork lightning, struck straight toward Sun's upper body. Sun gazed casually at her hands and caught a glimpse of the dark tentacle striking her in the corner of her eyes, her pupils opened in fear, stood up and turned her head painfully to the right, trying to reach out her trembling left hand to aim at the ebony tentacle, but it was too late.

For a moment the cunning dark tentacle reached from one side of the bench to the other at the speed close to that of light, gripped the armrest on the other side, and then, with some unhappiness, tightened back. It bounced Sun back on the bench, trying to trap the hapless blonde girl on the bench.

Sun screamed "help!" and then, with fear, stretched out her trembling, feeble right hand, and aimed it at the trap bench behind him, trying to break it into pieces with Sun beam to escape the embrace of darkness.

At this moment, the darkness gave out a strange and evil laugh, as if it were a grieving ghost longing for her life. Sun was startled, slowly and fearfully turned her head to look behind the bench, and then uttered a frightened, painful and desperate cry: the brown bench was suddenly dyed black by black pigment, and came to life, quivering.

Just as Sun was about to make a second scream, the black bench suddenly began to wriggle irregularly, and then became a sticky, dirty tentacle far thicker than Sun's waist. Together with the front tentacle, the second one tied up her, and then another tentacle stretched out from the branches of the big tentacle, politely tied to the golden lips of the sun, as if trying to kiss her. Sun trembled and struggled desperately to make a noise, but only uttered an "eh" sound, like a mute. There were no living creatures in the whole park except her – it seemed that the place was already reserved by darkness.

When Sun was fighting the dark tentacles in vain, kicking, pulling, punching, and even biting, there was a rustle in the bushes, and a dark and bottomless figure showed up. Attempting to ignore the perilous prison she was trapped in by the tentacles, Sun hurriedly leaned out of the darkness and looked at the figure, feeling a little familiar: long black hair, black heart–shaped crystal on her chest, a sinister smile of contempt on her face, dark boots ... Her heart quivered, body softened like a leaked balloon, mind self–aware of her own death: in front of her was the bloodcurdling and bloodthirsty mysterious one, the mysterious one that she could not sense, the mysterious one that separated Kousei from her, is ...

"Right!" The dark shadow seemed to know Sun's feelings, happily clapped her hands and laughed out aloud with gloat, Sun's ears then went sore, her heart bleeding as well, "I am the bloodthirsty killer who appalls the whole city, and moms use my name to frighten kids – Sun. Ha! You are quite of intelligence! But my victims were not so ..."

Sun's pupils were filled with panic, her limbs struggling even more, her fists violently swinging, attempting to remove the tentacles that tried to tie her mouth – she was suffocating, but all effort turned useless: she could only continue to make angry "uh–huh" sounds. The cold–blooded killer, who seemed to know what she meant, smiled contemptuously at her, and then, with her hands stooping with complacency, jokingly teased her:

"Well, I know what you mean – I know everything you think! But I won't let you go – your voice is terrible! Like a dog barking!"

The shadow walked lightly forward, with a sly, unfathomable smile, and then, facing the sun, stretched out her dark left hand, touching five slippery, tentacle–like fingers on the sun's face, sometimes rubbing her face severely as punishment, as if she were playing with a piece of plaster. Sun closed her eyes, painfully trying to turn back, but found her neck unable to twist. She screamed in horror at her loudest voice but could not make a sound. The ominous white moonlight deliberately avoided the shadows and shone only on Sun's fragile body, like a shroud.

Sun suddenly seemed to think of something, and her lifeless eyes turned firm in an instant, seeming unafraid of the terrible, disgusting tentacles that bound her whole body and mouth, her hands and feet suddenly stopped struggling, and her withered hair also restored its gold and vitality. She opened her blue eyes proudly and looked at the shadow in front of her as if she were the goddess of victory.

The shadow first froze, stood still, eyes glazed, and then clapped her hands on her face, bent down and laughed frantically, as if laughing at Sun's ignorance, "Hey, you want to say you're invulnerable, I can't hurt you at all, right?" She boasted in a sinister tone as she laughed like no one were aside her, "Well, you are wrong! Take a good look at the tentacles bounding you. They're not for anything else, just to suck up your life! Then, your infinite power will be mine!"

On hearing this cold and cruel remark, smug Sun immediately gave a cold sweat, the confidence in her eyes vanished, her hair lost its color, and her whole body softened like a piece of juice candy.

She clearly felt the dark, disgusting tentacles sucking dry her blood, body and energy like greedy leeches. Her body was becoming an empty shell, and her head was beginning to have gross nausea and dizziness, as if it were about to fall off her neck; her eyes were beginning to fade, other sensory organs began to cease to function, and her lips were turning lead–gray. Skin all over her body became so cold as if the disease that had befallen her had come again. She tried to speak, but could not speak despite her attempts; she tried to struggle, but no amount of effort could move her already stiff hands and feet.

In the moment before Sun fainted and plopped in front of the shadow like a corpse, she heard the last two words the shadow said to her vaguely and faintly:

"Do you want to know why I can know your mind?"

"Because I am you, and you are me ..."

* * *

Sun was suddenly awakened by a bright, gentle orange glow.

She slowly reached out her feeble left hand to block her eyes, slowly lift her eyelids as heavy as lead, then looked upward through her not yet fully opened eyes but saw not the dark night sky; an orange chandelier hung over her head, shining warm and bright around her. Above the chandelier were light brown ceilings supported by large square wooden stands that were three meters apart, emitting a rustic and rural air.

Sun frowned and wondered where it was. She struggled to move her stiff neck, raised her head up, and then looked round through her wide, awake eyes, found herself lying in a bright and warm room: pale pink walls, hazy antique paper windows and sliding doors, sky–blue curtains and orange, spotless floors, simple but sweet furniture, and a fat orange and white cat sleeping lazily under the window. Out of the window was still the dark sky lit by pale moonlight, in sharp contrast to the warm orange lights indoors. Sun could not help feeling that this was her home.

Amazed at the warmth in midst of the endless night, she rubbed her tired eyes hard and tried to convince herself that this was an illusion, and she had died, but nothing changed. It was real.

"Is here ... Is here heaven?" She whispered to herself, gently moving her lips.

"What are you thinking? This is not heaven!"

A gentle voice suddenly came from behind her. Sun realized that there was a man behind her, turned so scared that she sat up with a "whoosh", placed her hands nervously over her cheek, blinked, then turned her head and found that it was only a boy: he had short beige hair, feeble and gentle golden eyes like ears of wheat, a tidy white shirt, and a humble and lovely smile on his face. His fair skin, long, soft hands and a seemingly fragile body almost made Sun suspicious of his gender.

She looked carefully at the young man in front of her as kind as a bunny, feeling that he was not like a bad man and decided to ask him where it was. She took a deep breath and asked, "Sir, where is here, please?"

The boy smiled like flower and answered in an incomparably gentle voice, "Here is my home. Do not worry, my family is not here to night, I am alone in this house." Listening to his pure, gentle voice, Sun gradually relaxed her vigilance, widened her eyes curiously, and loosened her hands on her cheeks to the floor.

"Then why am I here?" She asked with some urgency.

"At midnight I heard a painful scream – I think it was yours – and ran in the direction of that voice. When I got there, I saw you fainting on the ground so I brought you back. You've been in a coma for five hours, and now I can relax at last." The boy told the story as easily as possible, not in the face of a strange stranger, but as if talking to an old friend.

He seemed to think of something, eyes suddenly flashed. He then leaned forward and asked curiously, "by the way, are you the 'Sun' in the news?"

"How do you know that?" Sun threw herself back in amazement, almost fell, and asked in dismay.

"Come on, it's on the news! It would haven been weird if I didn't know you!" The yellow–haired boy fiercely thumped his leg and laughed. Sun smiled as well, coming back to life as if she were crops nourished by a rainfall after long drought. For some reason, she suddenly wanted to know the name of the boy in front of her, and then, with her eyes opened wide, and asked to the boy:

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Call me Natsume." The boy smiled modestly and said softly, then stood up slowly with his slender left hand, and walked towards the white sliding door, saying, "I'll go downstairs and fetch some fruit for you."

Sun was about to thank him aloud, but suddenly realized that she would bring unnecessary trouble to the stranger, so she tried to lean in Natsume's direction, as if to stop him, "No, no! I'll be leaving at once, no bother!"

Hearing Sun's cry of pain behind him, Natsume's eyes turned around in amazement, staring incredulously at the girl he had just saved five hours ago. He stood there straight with a sour face After a long time he swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and squeezed some words from his mouth, "No, you can't go now – look at your body."

Sun froze for a moment, then looked down curiously at her body from head to foot, and suddenly gave out a woeful scream: under the gentle light, including areas clothed with fighting suit, her whole body was covered with long, bloody red wounds like thousands of gully gullies of the Great Rift Valley, some of which were tightly bandaged like mummies, some deep into her muscles, and some still dripping blood, as if they were just bitten by a beast.

Sun could not believe that her invincible body would be hurt by darkness, stretched out her trembling left hand excitedly, wrung her left cheek hard, then rubbed her eyes hard and blinked several times, thinking she was dreaming.

But this was not a dream. She was really injured.

The boy stared at this over–confident girl dully, his hands beside his body, his face showing anger and apprehension, like a mother facing her daughter that had wandered faraway a long time. He tried to act as easy–going as possible, slowly reached out a hand toward the heavily injured blonde girl before him, made a gentle gesture to let her sit down, and advised her in desperation, smiling, "You had better stay here. You are injured and need long–time rest, and your wounds need binding. It is still dark, where can you go? You will faint before walking several steps. Come, sit here and do not move. I'll fetch some more bandages downstairs."

"No way!" Sun forcefully stood up in an instant, stretching her weak, shaking hands, her face infused with disgust and unnamed anger, then grasped white bandages entangling over all her body and tore them off at once angrily, exposing gory and horrible wounds. Sun felt painful, but now she was unaware of that; what she cared more was Natsume's too much help.

Then, in spite of the startled and worried Natsume's eyes, she strode angrily towards the sliding door, and, in a brutal way, pushed the terrified boy away, so savage that he awkwardly staggered backward for a few steps and almost fell to the ground. Sun angrily turned back and glared at frightened Natsume as if he were a culprit, then madly spread her hands and cried, "I don't need your help! Thank you very much! I alone can solve everything!"

Natsume was too shocked to take a step, and stretched out his trembling right hand to that familiar and unfamiliar figure going away, tried to retain her but failed. He could only sit here painfully, his eyes losing vigor,. He burst into bitter tears, slowly choked up and said, "don't you really need mere a helping hand? Can you face everything on your own just because you're a superhero? Aren't we supposed to help each other? Don't ... "

At the end of the lit corridor came an indignant female voice, "No! I can't let anyone else help me! No!"

Natsume sucked painfully at the snot that hung on his face, slowly raised his hand and wiped his tears, then slowly turned his head to look out of the window as the day dawned.

* * *

Sun went down the stairs step by step, reached out her hand to open the door, but was frozen in place, as if wondering whether to stay. At last she made up her mind, shook her head wildly, and pulled the door open.

The sun had not yet risen, but the east was glowing, and there was no total blackness around her. The blonde plodded along, silently looking at the strange scenes beside her.

She didn't jump for joy and celebrate the day had come; instead, she only bit her lips, and tears involuntarily flowed from her eyes and into her mouth. She felt that the light around her was a deliberate irony.

The light had finally come, but what does you, Sun, have to do with this?

Do you have no power to guard the world? You cannot even guard yourself ...

Sun, feeling that her fragile body could no longer carry her heavy soul, fell to her knees and curled up in a ball. Her face was buried deep in her hands. Tears in her eyes flowed like the Amazon, and her heart was full of indescribable contradictions and pains.

I have no power to guard the world, but I can never accept others' help ... what can I do ...

Sun could not stop crying and turned slowly back to look reluctantly at the distant house with its soft, orange light; the house was like a lone green light in the dark and endless ocean in her heart. When she looked once more for the orange light it had vanished, and she was alone again in the unquiet darkness.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 6  
**

"Are you all right?"

As Tsubaki frowned and looked anxiously at the blonde on the right, she slowly and carefully held out her right hand to the latter, her knuckles bent at right angles, trying to wipe tears from her face.

At that moment, two girls were sitting side by side on the ground in the shade of a tree in the corner of the playground.

Spring breeze was gently blowing beside them to the beat of a waltz, bringing intoxicating fragrance: breeze gathered her aroma literally everywhere, whether thick, vibrant green leaves overhead, the verdant grass yonder, wild flowers swaying along the roadside with the breeze, or kitchens of thousands of households with the smell of tasty food. What set off the fragrance was the appropriate temperature and humidity, warm and vibrant sunshine, an arc of football across the azure sky, as well as boys and girls full of lifeful laughter; whether they had triumphed or been defeated, smiles from ear to ear always appeared.

But Tsubaki didn't have even one second to think about the beauty of scenes: she was worried that her best friend, Miyazono Kaori, the blonde girl sitting next to her.

This guy came with a dull look in her eyes and drooping limbs; she looked like a zombie. What on earth befell her? Tsubaki wondered.

"Well, I say – instead of exercising or playing the violin, you're sitting here, staring at the front like a log – what's the matter with you?" Tsubaki slowly raised her head to the right, looked directly into Kaori's inert eyes, and spoke in an anxious tone.

"Go away." Kaori moved her pale lips a few times, made a buzzing sound, and sat as still as a mummy. By this time tears had died out from her face, and she was holding her right hand with her left hand absently.

"Do you feel sick?" Tsubaki leaned slightly to the right and put her warm right hand on Kaori's cold, pale left hand, her eyes tense and her brow furrowed, "Shall I help you to the infirmary?"

"No, I don't." Chilly words came from Kaori's pale lips. She looked at the football flying to and fro on the playground with dull eyes. Her left hand pushed away Tsubaki's hand stiffly, then squeezed her right hand more tightly, but her face did not twitch, as if it was only a picture in JPG format.

"What's the matter?" Tsubaki raised her eyebrows indignantly, then stood up and looked down at Kaori. "I remember you used to be fairly outgoing – even in illness. Tell me what's wrong with you?" Tsubaki's voice grew irritable, and her eyes were burning.

"Leave me alone." Kaori's wooden lips opened and closed, emitting a feeble sound, then mechanically stopped, half–open, half–closed, motionless; she now resembled a faded wax figure. The leaves above her stopped, too, and the rustle died away as if it were strangled.

Tsubaki's face took on an ugly expression and her eyes were shaded. She swallowed hard then turned and shuffled silently out of the shade toward the distant field harboring baseballs and laughter.

Kaori buried her head in her chest, tears pouring down like a rainstorm, but there was no crying. She felt as if she were the Kousei playing the piano, sinking into the dark sea, hearing nothing and seeing no one, until the last light had gone.

Kaori walked home alone with only the gusty wind.

To be honest, that was not the case. Sunset shone its brilliant light on the earth as always, like an artist painting on the ground; trees along the road had sprouted and were growing vigorously, as if in some contest; teenagers going home talked about all kinds of interesting things as usual, such as gossip among classmates, campus legends, and even international political situations.

Kaori, however, did not belong to them. For some reason, giggly teenagers dodged Kaori as soon as they saw her, leaving a vacuum on the crowded roads; roadside trees seemed to wither at the sight of Kaori; even the sun, famous for its evil as well as its good, hid from her, unwilling to grant her any sunshine.

The buzz was theirs, and I had nothing. She thought lonely.

Kaori's arms hung like dry branches at her sides, swinging slightly, as if they had lost contact with her brain. Her right hand inadvertently touched a hard, cold rectangle that appeared to vibrate slightly.

That was her cell phone.

Kaori suddenly froze, her pupils dilated, and a subtle, inconspicuous smile appeared on her face. Maybe Kousei wanted to make up and I could forgive him, she thought.

She hastily yanked the phone out of her pocket and hit the screen. Her smile then froze: there was no message from Kousei on the lit screen but just a tweet:

"Quasimodo: A Little Thought About Sun"

"I still expect too much from him. A headstrong man like him can't have surrendered so quick."

Kaori sneered a few times, then put the phone back in her pocket, only to be shocked when her right hand touched the edge of the pocket.

"A Little Thought About Sun"?!

She shuddered, then pulled the phone out again, gently lit the screen, forced herself to close her eyes, and slowly clicked on the notification.

She opened her eyes and saw the article.

At the top was the peculiar name "Quasimodo," and his self–introduction was only quoted as "Humanity Lives in Darkness." But most striking of all was his avatar: a white dot amid a sea of black.

Neither his self–introduction nor his profile bothered Kaori, so she decided to find out what the man had to say about the Sun – that is, her.

"I have seen Sun once."

Kaori's heart sank. Who is he?

"I will never forget the perfect composition I made with her that afternoon: I was standing on the railing at the bottom of the stairs, my dull eyes looking up, and she was standing there, her big blue, shining eyes looking down at me. Sunlight came through the window on the stairs and fell on her long, blond hair.

"Is he the boy I saved the other day? Kousei seems to have mentioned him..." Kaori tried to recall more information, but she couldn't. She shook her head helplessly and continued to slide her index finger mechanically across the screen.

"It was a perfect metaphor: we were all standing in the dark, looking up at that figure in the spotlight on the stage, screaming in ecstasy, or pointing at her with disdain. But no matter what, the light belongs to her; her every word and deed on the stage, especially her sunny eyes, overshadows us.

"Maybe we haven all forgotten that she lives on us."

Kaori nearly stumbled.

"If it were not for us who stand in the dark, there would be no one for her to save. What good does a lighthouse serve without ships on the sea? Without the audience, who would the idol sing to?"

"What!" Kaori gritted her lips, almost crushed her phone in her right hand, and her face turned white, unable to believe what she was reading. But she shook her head, repressed her anger, and decided to continue to see what the man was talking about.

"Recently, Sun's abrupt absence in public light has worried many. No more tall figure between innocent girls and brutal bandits, no more warm and powerful hands rescuing naive kids from the wheels of death, no more glittering eyes staring at the ashen faces of the misfortune. They feel the sunshine on their hearts has vanished, leaving leaden clouds only. So they begin to pray for the reappearance of the sun and the return of normality in everything, just as Jesus' followers think God will return upon their belief.

"These followers, however, fail to realize that the heaven is by no means acquired via mere waiting and prayer – but via efforts of the mass, which will help people build a heaven on earth. That applies to Sun's followers as well: it is better to seek and create light actively than to do nothing and wait Sun granting light from above."

"What is he saying..." Kaori froze, her mouth half agape. Her head was buzzing, with words on the screen thundering in her mind.

"Say no that you can't. There was no light in the world until darkness begot light. Sun used to be one of us standing in darkness, and it were individual struggles and the historical situation which pushed her unto the shining stage. She, like us, is a human being at all; she has her own life, her own emotion, and maybe even her boyfriend."

Kaori gave out a laugh dryly.

"There have been people who have been doing similar things ever since humans came down from trees. If we just passively accept the light, then what should we do when the sun goes out? The Book of Habakkuk teaches, 'Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?'

"Besides, this is not hard. I am not asking you to achieve world–shaking things; I just hope that you can carry more gentleness and kindness, and less indifference and hatred. Pick up a garbage on the ground as you see it; block someone cutting in line as encountering him or her; do not look on with folded arms when someone gets robbed, as your one police call may save lots of damage; do not have eyes yet see not while Internet trolls are rampant, your one report of abuse may work well.

"Yeah..." murmured Kaori with tears rolling down from her eyes.

"I remember that sunny afternoon and that pair of big, azure and slightly erratic eyes that were looking at me. Most people are just ordinary people who swim with the tide and hurt each other for their own good, I said. The owner of the eyes then angered and said, most men are good, and you see only a few. We did not come to a conclusion that day.

"I hereby make a bet with my readers and the whole city. I've always been pessimistic about human nature, and I still , who believe in the goodness of human race, it is time to prove me wrong. It is time to prove to Sun that her firm belief is right.

"For the first time in my life, I wish I could lose a bet, because the bet is on the survival of the city. If you win, the city will survive; if you lose, the city will perish."

Kaori crushed her teeth again, sweats oozing on her forehead.

"Go then. Don't merely think about what you'll do, but do something. Don't merely praise Sun on Twitter, but be the sun in your and others' lives. After all, 'Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.'"

"Finally, if Sun herself happens to be reading this article, I hope you can come and have a talk with me. I'll be looking forward to it."

Kaori's left hand, which was wiping away tears, suddenly froze in mid–air. The phone in her right hand almost fell off to the ground. Why did him invite me?

"I live – as my readers know – in the flat of pure black in the northwest corner of the city. I am sure you will find me.

"Good–bye, then."

"Humanity lives in Darkness"

Kaori's right hand stopped in mid–air. She stood there for a long time as a sculpture, her eyes still fixed on the end of the article before she came to herself.

Now the sun had disappeared, the moon and the stars were missing for some unknown reason, and all she saw were the soft orange street lamps and the dark blue, sea–like sky. The road was empty, with the occasional whistling wind.

"Shall... I... go?"

Kaori automatically put her phone back in pocket, her dry lips spitting out a few words.

She shook her head emphatically, trying to clear her mind, but grew more and more perplexed. After standing there for a long time, she went on thinking:

"What the man said was strange, but perhaps he had a point... Shall I accept his invitation?" Kaori subconsciously cradled her chin in her left hand, her right hand swinging back and forth beside her body, like a marionette, and her eyes staring straight at the floor

"The truth... Do I really want to know the truth?" Her low voice had lost its confidence and was thin as a thread.

There are no other options.

Her own voice suddenly came back to her. Kaori retreated a few paces in alarm, and her right hand touched the black lamp post accidentally, which she then held.

Don't be will be born again.

"What does that mean?" Kaori asked tensely.

The voice made no reply. One, two... A minute passed, and the voice fell silent. Kaori could only hear the wind whistling again.

It was that voice that led me to the power of the sun, Kaori thought. Can I trust it again?

Maybe I can, maybe I can't, maybe...

"That's enough! Stop this mess!" Kaori said crossly, "I'd better go and have a look. It's no big deal."

She looked up, but there was still no light in the sky. Nevertheless it did not deter her.

Once more, the dry vocal chords vibrated powerfully and uttered strange words:

"Awaken, Sun!"

A faint light shone again, like a candle against the wind.

Kaori bowed her head a little woefully and asked herself one last question before leaving:

"Will this be the last time?"

A black apartment building squat in the northwest corner of the city.

The walls of the building were ebony, its shape standard cuboid. It looked like a vertical coffin and Satan's nest, which, against the backdrop of the dark night, seemed particularly redoubtable. The uniform, lifeless white light from the surrounding windows was like the eyes of secret police, watching the city warily under the cover of night. Some young people who have read books have argued about which name is better for it, the Ministry of Truth or the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, yet they agreed that no name could accurately describe the atmosphere of the building. Some even noticed that the temperature around the building was several degrees Celsius cooler than the rest of the neighborhood.

A single window on the thirteenth floor stood alone. Looking in, a pale boy in a black pajama suit sat on a black computer chair, his left hand hanging casually behind the back of the chair, his right hand tampering with a withered gel pen. The white walls were terribly clean, and on the gray table stood a pale lamp, the only light in the room. On one side of the bed were neat gray sheets, and the light blue quilts, neatly folded, seemed incoherent with the rest of the room.

Three white stories of shelves on the left were for books. The first story was a collection of textbooks, most of them were classical literature and history books, only a few of them were math which belonged to several grades lower than their neighbors; the second story was the extracurricular books for teenagers, both in Japanese and English: Natsume Soseki, Dazai Osamu, Fitzgerald and Stephen Crane were all on the shelf. The third story was strangely empty, with only a shadow hanging over it, like the memory hole Winston had on hand to dispose of waste paper, only not so convenient.

The boy was staring blankly at the black computer screen. He slowly bent over the table, raised his left arm, laid his elbow languidly on the table, and began to cradle his chin with his left hand. The gel pen in his right hand stopped and slipped away, landing on the table with a thud and breaking the deadly silence.

He was startled by the sudden thud and looked up, only to catch a glimpse of a faint yellow light in the dark sky. Instantly realizing that it was the visitor he had been waiting for, the boy rose to his feet, carefully grasped the cold handle, and opened the two windows in front of him.

Chilly wind then came in screeching, the boy could not help but shivered. He looked eagerly out of the window at the light coming in his direction, and, with a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, said to himself, somewhat mockingly:

"I thought she couldn't make it."

A few seconds later, the blonde appeared out the window. Her little figure floated in the air, seeming much weaker than before: her long golden hair had faded, her eyes behind the mask were no longer as unswerving as before, but she was moving around, drifting, and her body no longer seemed so strong. Against the dark sky dome, she resembled a lonely wandering comet in the universe.

Her voice broke:

"May I come in?"

The boy was familiar with the voice that had argued with him that afternoon, but it was also strange to him: the crisp voice had become very shriveled, and the joyful emotion had disappeared; now she was a deflated balloon.

He chuckled, then leaned out of the window and called out to the girl, "Come in, please! It's very cold out here. Don't catch a cold."

The blonde, frightened by his eagerness, stopped midair for a moment, then nodded and flew through the window into the boy's room. She landed on the ground slowly, and the golden boots made a muffled noise. She looked around, her big blue eyes rolling, as if looking for a place to sit.

The boy noticed that and gave a funny laugh, waved his hand and said, "Sit down on this bed, please."

The blonde girl nodded stiffly, heled the edge of the bed and sat down softly, as if walking on a precipice. Her legs hung over the edge of the bed, her hands clutching the gray sheets, and her face seemed twisted as she looked around at the strange room, which was mostly black and white. The boy was even sure that he could hear the sound of the girl's rapid heart beating clearly.

"I thought you could arrive through the gate, Miss Sun."

Sun's face did not seem to have any expression, but the boy apt at reading countenances had been aware that she was merely repressing her frayed nerves. Her whole body did not match the room, and even the light blue quilt did not welcome her.

The boy looked at Sun's tight hands, almost laughed, but still restrained it. He leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind it as easily as he could, and smiled at his only visitor in this evening. "Okay, take it easy, that's just a jest. You see, I don't look so evil..."

At this point, the boy suddenly laughed coldly, and hit his leg with his fist. It startled Sun, who looked at the moody boy with incredulous sights. Sun, however, seeing that the boy was so wild, could not help but feel that he and herself had something in common, thus feeling not so bad.

The boy quickly regained his senses and smiled at the sun from his computer chair. "I'm sorry," he said, "Well, those were episodes," he said. Leaning back in his chair, and clearing his throat, he suddenly took on a serious face – as he had done that afternoon, when he was arguing. "We must get down to business."

"Business?" The sun shivered unconsciously, but pretended to be sober while she was confounded. "What do you want?"

Instead of answering her question, the boy threw out another question, "What kind of existence do you think the sun is?"

The sun instantly excited up, eyes emitting a ray of light and smiling. After all, having claimed the sun as her title for so long, she felt she had a deep understanding of her namesake.

"The sun is a huge, unceasing luminous body that gives all life on earth light and warmth they need. Hmm... Without it, things would be unimaginable." Her eyes twinkled at the boy, and her voice rose higher and higher, as if she were not talking about that celestial object, but boasting about how powerful she was.

The teenager nodded his head expressionless, pinched his nose with his left hand and made a gesture allowing her to continue.

"In my opinion, the sun is not just a celestial body, but a living has its own emotions, it has its own thoughts, and it can even see what's going on here on voice of the sun began to dream, as if it could no longer tell the truth of what it was saying, but only its own wishful thinking. She thus concluded her story, looking with twinkling eyes at the boy in front of her, who was still staring at her with his poker face and his dead fish eyes.

The boy's cold voice was suddenly heard:

"Are you sure?"

Sun's heartbeat nearly stopped, but she still pretended to be excited expression, hoping that her emotional fluctuation would not be noticed by him. After all, doing so is tantamount to throwing in the towel.

"Well said," said the boy with admiration, but his words seemed to mean something else. He paused, then looked straight into her large, bright blue eyes, and said slowly, "and what is the end of the sun?"

Sun opened her lips a little, and answered, with feigned casualness, "Well, it will disappear in the universe." Sun sensed something was wrong, so she glanced at the boy and asked, "Why do you ask that question?"

Ignoring Sun's question, the boy glared at her with a pair of dull eyes, then bent forward and asked in a cold, mechanical voice, "Do you want to know the real end?"

Sun's hands froze.

"Towards her denouement, the sun will gradually shrink in size, eventually being compressed to its Schwarzschild radius, forming a..." said the boy as he made a baleful smile, "black hole."

"A black hole? What..." whispered Sun. She was like a child who just solved a math problem, only to be pointed out by his teacher that the answer was wrong.

"This black hole at the center of our solar system has such a strong gravitational pull that it sucks in everything and even light can't escape – that's why it's called a black hole. Nearby planets will be swallowed up, including the earth."

Sun was speechless.

The boy sneered and said in a strange voice, "What an irony! The being which gave out light and warmth finally swallows up her own creation and becomes the source of despair and destruction. Fascinating, isn't it? Hahaha..."

"What are you going to say?" asked Sun, blinking nervously.

"Look at yourself." The boy snorted, "Is the ultimate destiny of that celestial body also yours? Turning into a bottomless black hole, devour ing all light and destroying everything... Will you do the same?"

There exploded a clap of thunder in Sun's head. She opened her mouth in horror, trying to say something, but could not find the right words.

The boy looked at Sun quietly, with a cruel smile on his face. He continued, "I see you are shocked and do not believe what I have just said. Come on, let me tell you the truth behind the light."

Sun's whole body froze, looking back and forth.

"On the west bank of our western sea, there is a country that has existed for four or five thousand years. Since the dawn of civilization, people there have enjoyed recording their history and passing it on to future generations in the hope that they will learn from it. Here's one of my favorite stories:

"Once upon a time, the last king of a dynasty ruled his kingdom. He was a tyrant through and through: a wanton man who massacred his people, killed his faithful subjects. He was overthrown by a popular uprising, and died in exile. Right?

"But you know what he compares himself to? The , the sun in the sky. When a sage offered him advice, he not only did not accept it, but also said to the man with complacency that he was the sun. The people of the tyrant heard this and shouted in anger that they would perish with 'the sun'!"

"..."

"History is always strikingly similar. More than three thousand years later, a similar person showed up. At first, he was not as devilish as the first person; in fact, he was one of those who rescued the people of this country from tyranny and poverty. Under his rule, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and all walks of life developed greatly. In the eyes of the people, he was the savior, the sun on the earth.

"But unfortunately he made mistakes, as anyone does. He was ambitious, yet he ignored the reality of the country, made mistakes and didn't want to admit them – he didn't have to, because he was already seen as a god. His series of mistakes combined to plunge the country into a bottomless pit of darkness, and soil was soaked with the blood of innocents. Less than a year after his death, the bane was over, and though people were saved from the disaster, they were left in a long period of confusion, hatred and mutual suspicion – the scars of that disaster have not fully healed to this day."

"..."

Sun stared at the boy, speechless. Although the height difference between them was not huge, she felt that the boy in front of her was as big and scary as Goliath, and she was only a frail insect which would be trampled to death at any moment. The pale lamp flickered a few times, then returned to normal.

"Let's change the subject."

It was still the voice of the heartless youth, as if sentencing her to death.

"Your birthday... what day is it?"

It took Sun a few seconds to react, breathing a sigh of relief; she thought the boy would go on interrogating her. "July 4th." she said in a weak, firm voice.

The boy froze for a moment, then smiled and murmured to himself, "July 4th. The fourth of July... Do you know what the fourth of July is?"

Sun finally heard the topic she was familiar with, breathedheavily, and began to answer with growing confidence, "Of course I know! The fourth of July is the Independence day of the United States. On that very day, a group of great men announced to the whole world the birth of a nation – and not only that, they also laid the foundation for the later struggles for liberty and equality." Sun laughed as she spoke and sat back, "I feel that it was providence that I was born on this day, otherwise how could I be called 'the woman symbolizing liberty'?"

The boy calmly looked at Sun and joked, "That's a funny nickname. I want one too." He smiled, then suddenly altered his tone and asked sternly, "But do you really know what the Declaration of Independence says?"

Sun's smile froze. I thought he would give me a break, she thought.

"In the second half of the Declaration of Independence, the framers of the United States enumerated a number of crimes against the King of England. Actually, they were neck by neck with him when taking white atrocities against Native Americans into account: Indians were first killed by white men for their land, then they were driven to the so–called reservations along the Trail of Tears in the early 19th century, then they were forcibly assimilated by white men in the following decades. The white people regard Native American culture as barbarism and their own culture as civilization!"

"..."

"More than that. The Declaration of Independence," said the boy word by word, "is not a blessing to all: it is no more than nothing to a people. The black people of distant Africa were driven from their homes by slave traders, forced to work in strange lands, bought and sold at will, tortured to death, and denied justice. Not even the Founding Fathers of the United States were able to give them the liberty they deserved! That's why they betrayed their country and joined the army of the so–called tyrants – because they didn't have a country!

"Later a war broke out between the slave–holding states and the free states, and the barbaric slavery died out. But the black people's humiliation was far from over; they were discriminated against, they were segregated, and even though they contributed in two world wars, they were selectively ignored. Even today, in the United States, which has experienced the civil rights movement, racial discrimination against black people are still rampant.

The boy's trembling voice grew excited. He stretched out his arms and looked up to the heaven, as if to invoke justice from Him or to condemn Him for acquiescing in the violence. The blonde girl in front of him remained motionless, as if she had been turned to stone by the gaze of Medusa.

"There is another group making up almost half of the population whose justice has been delayed – women. They did their bit for the revolutionary war, fought for the freedom of slaves in the abolitionist movement, and made great contributions when men went to the front in World War II. They deserve equal did they actually get? Very few."

"At first, they didn't have the right to vote; they had very little financial independence and could even attend the abolitionist convention from a secluded finally gained their right to vote in 1920, but they had no other freedoms: they were generally paid less than men, could be harassed by bosses or colleagues in the workplace, and had no control over reproduction. Today, American women are better off than before, but by no means perfect."

The pale light flickered a few times, then suddenly went out. There was no light outside the window. In the darkness, Sun could no longer see the boy's face, and he was still telling the appalling history, as if speaking to himself.

"See? This is the brutal truth, these are the blood and tears, pain and hatred of countless victims hidden behind the grand words." The boy pounded the table with his left hand, making a loud thud like thunder in a storm.

"Why did you... tell me... these..." Sun asked in a feeble, broken voice, not so much to the boy as to herself, "These... I know... I've learned..."

"Yes, that's right." The boy snorted so contemptuously that Sun could even see his mocking smile. "I'm sure you already know that. You just don't want to recognize them."

Sun suddenly fell off the boy's bed and fell to her knees on the frigid floor, her head hanging low as if she lost her consciousness. She felt as if she were floating alone in a malign universe which enveloped her in the endless darkness, and felt the boy walk up to her, pacing heavily back and forth with his hands behind his back, as if he was O'Brien interrogating Winston.

"You don't want to recognize them, because they will shake your confidence and make you doubt – you know they will make you doubt whether it is worth it to carry out justice in your own way and save others, so you put them in a shady corner of your memory."

His words were like a thousand sharp knives that cut into her breast.

"However, the world is not just made of light. Many blackness lurks in every corner, few people notice their existence, but they are everywhere: brutal disputes on buses, shocking bullying and violence on campus, tortured to death in prison... One thing after another shows that darkness lurks in the deepest recesses of the human heart." With a regretful sigh, the boy resumed his cold voice, "As Christian doctrine states, we have all sinned; when we stand before light, shadow is behind us."

Sun was still kneeling on the ground, like a lost traveler in the abyss.

"But that's not all. There is hope." The boy's voice rose suddenly, and desperate Sun heard the incredible news.

Sun's pupils dilated and her trembling lips uttered the anguished words, "Hope? What is that?"

"Let me ask you a question first." Instead of answering her question, the boy walked back to his desk and sat down again. "have you heard of Misaka Mikoto?"

"Of course I do." Sun's voice was still faint. "She's the third most powerful esper at Academy City, apt at manipulating electricity, so she's called 'the Railgun'." Sun's eyes sparkled. "She's one of my idols, too: one of the few modern vigilantes who has stepped up for so many times when Academy City is in danger." She looked up as if waiting for the boy's affirmation.

"Mostly right. But do you know why she could do such a great thing? In other words, why can she protect the city dear to her?"

"She is powerful..." Sun replied. Her voice was mildly hopeful and frustrated, seemingly angry at her own inability to do so, "she can send out powerful electric currents that can pierce the air, launch a coin into a railgun, manipulate magnetic forces, and even strike formidable lightnings from the sky. Isn't she strong?"

The boy smiled mysteriously and said: "Indeed. But you're missing the point:

"Misaka Mikoto is not fighting alone, but with the whole city."

Sun froze.

"What does that mean?"

"Literally. She and her friends helped each other in first battles. For example, when dealing with the Upper Level incident, her friend Uiharu rewrote the program, which suppressed the monster's movements and allowed Mikoto to give full play. In the Gravitron bombing incident, her friend Kamijou Touma protected and saved a little girl from an unexpected explosion.

"The 'Revolution' initiated by 'STUDY' is also a perfect example of Mikoto working with others to achieve her dream: her partners initiated Judgment operatives of the entire Academy City and delayed the process of 20,000 powered suits to occupy the Academy City, so that Mikoto had enough time to find the mastermind behind it.

"To be honest, she was once lonely and faced the dark truth of Academy City, strongly feeling her powerlessness. However, she will never let darkness stop her pursuit of justice, because she knows that she is with everyone in this city."

The boy held the armrest of the chair with his left hand, got up from the chair, ignored the Sun kneeling on the ground, and wald to the light switch of the door step by step. He opened his upper arms trembled with excitement, and his voice rose again.

"I heard these stories from the mouth of the horse. Absolutely true."

The dark room was silent again, like the void before the big bang.

"When I think of you, I often think of the girl from Academy City. She's just so much like you: gallant, full of energy, reassuring, a little arrogant... The parallels are striking. Yet the difference is," the boy paused, "she is more mature than you and realizes something you don't: she has to rely on ordinary people to dispel the darkness and pursue the light."

"I can do it alone..." Sun's defiant voice sounded like a protest.

"Haven't you seen it clearly?" The boy suddenly raised his voice, and Sun trembled a little. "They have come to realize that the gods are only imaginary beings, and that they are the ones who can really make a difference in the world."

"Certainly Mikoto has known this, which is why she possesses such an affinity and charisma: anyone who has been up close to Mikoto – even me – has to admit that she is the kind of common folks you meet on the street who can also be heroic at a crucial moment. She is a hero of the people."

"Look at you again. You call yourself the 'Sun' of light," the boy's voice was heavy as lead, "However, they will only take you as an idol worship; To them, you are the one who flies through the air, the savior, the redeemer, the idol, but not a human.

"Remember all the history I narrated? They were the agents of social progress until they went to the altar, became inviolable idols, and grew arrogant. They forgot that they were a member of society, ignored the people crying, only occasionally gave symbolic alms, and eventually destroyed themselves. I saw that fate in you."

A tear fell silently on the floor, and it can not be said whether it was due to sorrow or fear.

"You still have a chance."

The tone was still cold, but Sun felt the words warm.

"Remember my bet with the city? Now, I'll make you a bet too." The boy turned his back on the tearful girl. "Now, they need someone – someone in them – to guide them out of this temporary the one who guides them," He emphasized the words, "will be born again."

"That's... me?" Sun's voice was still muted, but it was more hopeful.

"Yes." The teenager smacked his head against the bed as the judge delivered his verdict. "I bet you can't solve this huge puzzle. The stakes – the same as before."

"..."

"But if you don't even call on people to do it, there's no need to make that bet." The boy slowly put his right hand on the light switch, and turned on the lamp. The white light was very dazzling that Sun could not close her eyes full of tears.

"To try to defeat the darkness and lead the people to save the city," said the boy. He pressed the switch again with his knuckles, letting darkness dwell in the room again, "Or to give up, to die and to sleep,"

"Choose for yourself."

The boy left the room. The door creaked sharply and closed behind him.

In the dark room, Sun was alone on her knees.

It was as if everything had disappeared, only the darkness before time.

* * *

 _P.S. Hakigaya Hachiman made a mistake in this chapter: the sun is too small to form a black hole. The author wrote so on purpose; After all, Hachiman is bad at science, and it is unreasonable to expect him to have a thorough knowledge of this kind of knowledge._


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 7**

Gasping for breath, the little yellow–haired girl faced her astonished parents and called in her childish voice:

"Dad! Mom!"

"What's up?"

"I don't want to learn playing the piano anymore!"

"Eh?!"

"I want to play violin for Kousei!"

...

A crisp sneer arose in the dark room. The voice of the innocent child stopped suddenly, the warm cake shop and smiling couple vanished in the dim eyes, and the darkness was as before. The floor under its knee was still hard and cold, and tears fell from time to time noiselessly.

"I'm so useless."

"Still thinking about things when I was a child... I'm so useless." The shadow shook its head slowly and gave a cruel smile.

"He is right. He is right. There's only darkness in the world! Darkness!" The shadow clenched its fists, and its tone grew appalling, as if it were colder than the deep abyss. "Useless, useless, all…"

The voice rose until it become an emotionless shriek:

"…useless!"

The dried eyes closed again.

..

The girl kept her bow and her golden hair fell to the ground. Tears were oozing from the closed eyes, and a sobbing voice said:

"Please, do help thwarted me!"

"Okay. I will play for you."

"I'm not responsible for consequences if it goes wrong, though."

"Thank you!"

...

A drop of tears clashed on the ground and broke the sunshine on the roof and the happy smile on the girl's face. The reassuring and warm voice in its ears disappeared and darkness came back again. Nothing had changed.

"I am too naive."

Corners of the mouth of the shadow were eerily upward, as if it had seen through everything.

"I thought I could change the world, I thought I could save them. But how? It's ridiculous that I can't even get rid of a little monster."

"Ridiculous…"

The shadow lurched forward in the darkness. It crouched on the ground, thundering like a wounded beast:

"Ahhhh!"

Then there was a long silence.

...

The short–haired girl opened her mouth wide. She looked at the blonde girl in front of her in amazement and thanked her with a dreamy voice.

"Thank you... Thank you..."

"You are really... beautiful."

"So do you."

...

Suddenly a sob was heard, the brightly lit street and the two smiling girls were gone, and all that left was the dark room.

There was only oppressive darkness, like the void before the singularity.

"No... No..."

The shadow dragged its heavy body and sobbed softly. Now and then it raised its arm and wiped tears from its face.

"I... can't do... anything... I..."

The voice grew suddenly excited:

"No! I am... really useless!"

Pa.

It was a slap in the face by the shadow itself. It felt no pain because the senses were numb.

Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa.

It held its palm wildly and slapped itself without halting. A clear sound fell on the cochlea of the shadow, but its heart could not hear it.

The shadow then collapsed to the ground, arms outstretched, eyes closed.

...

"You bowed your head again."

A familiar voice suddenly arose and Sun's body trembled. Out of the blackness appeared a light from above, as if from heaven.

She lifted her leaden head feebly, looked at the light, and suddenly froze.

The glowing figure was herself.

Yes, it was Miyazono Kaori herself. The blond hair, the big blue eyes, the white robes, the tightly held violin in the left hand and the gleaming bow in the right, and the confident countenance were sufficient for her to be instantly recognizable. She had a pure white flower in her head, determination in her eyes, and a dazzling beam behind her, like a morning star in the long night and the goddess of victory in Greek mythology.

It's just an illusion.

Sun shook her head, desperately closed her eyes, but still could feel the existence of the light. She opened her eyes and saw that her other self had not disappeared. She wrenched her face with her right hand; the figure was still there.

"Ah?!"

Sun's pupils suddenly dilated and her mouth opened in surprise. Does that figure really exist? She wondered to herself.

"Needless to doubt, I AM real."

The other self suddenly spoke. It was her own voice, indeed, but it sounded strange: high, confident, full of life, as it had been when she had been talking and laughing with Kousei on the roof a week before. Sun felt dizzy.

"You..." ventured she in a weak voice.

The blonde in the white gown sighed softly and smiled sorrowfully. "Yes, that's right," said she, "I am you, but from another time."

"Where are you from?" Sun's voice was full of doubt.

The blonde girl replied, "I come from the past – the last April, to be exact."

Sun was struck dumb for an instant.

The blonde nodded gently at her as she lay on the ground and said slowly, "It is hard to believe, right? Isn't it amazing that there is another yourself in the world?"

Then the blonde girl smiled again and looked at the sun lying on the ground, saying nothing. Her white robes danced like doves from the sky.

Is this the light before the destruction? Sun thought.

"Don't think about it."

The blonde girl looked at her on the floor and suddenly said seriously. The sun shivered in amazement and lay motionless on the ground.

"This is by no means your denouement. It is not worth sacrificing yourself now."

How does she know what's on my mind? Sun thought. Maybe she's just me.

"You believe the light was gone, don't you? You think you have no way to go, don't you?"

It was the same solemn voice, but with a touch of tenderness in it.

Is there really nothing I can do? Is it really necessary to give up like this? But if I don't give up, what can I do? How on earth can I save myself and this city...

At this point, all the thoughts in the mind eventually turned into a huge question mark.

"I... I don't know. I don't know..." Sun's voice sank into whispering.

The blonde girl shook her head and then said in a soft voice,

"I can see that there is still hope in your heart, but you can't see the way forward. If you don't know, let me tell you."

Slowly Sun raised its head and looked up at the light above it.

"I have told you I am from the last April." The blonde made a warm smile. "Do you remember what happened a year ago?"

"I met Kousei for the first time, in the park with cherry blossoms." The sun replied weakly, with a wry smile, "How much I wish I could see these cherry blossoms again!"

"Yep." The blonde smiled approvingly, "What else happened that day?"

"On that day..." Trying to recall that day, Sun suddenly realized something and replied, "I went through in the violin contest. Kousei, Tsubaki and Watari were present."

"Yes. Do you remember how you made it?"

"It seems... I was recommended by the audience!" said Sun clearly, wondering why she asked.

"That's the point." The blonde laughed. "How easy do you think it would be to be chosen from a crowd of about a dozen contestants?"

"What?" Sun froze for a moment, for she didn't hear the blonde's question. She asked in surprise after a few seconds, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing else." The blonde seemed angry, and her voice turned worried. "Can't you see it? Have you forgotten the deafening cheers at the end of your performance? Have you forgotten their warmth and support?"

"I..."

Sun was startled again, for she saw clearly that the scene was flowing. Dark rooms were gone and replaced by brightly lit concert halls; she was sitting in the audience, and the blonde girl was the performer, her eyes glistening with tears of gratitude, her body perspiring, trembling with excitement.

Holding her violin and bowing aloft, she smiled and greeted the audience as they screamed, cheered and clapped like enthusiastic fans at a concert. Sun noticed a boy in the corner of the concert hall: behind the heavy glasses, his gray eyes were colored again, as if the girl were a butterfly that had burst into his field of vision.

Sun silently watching this scene, a few pieces of cherry petals flew before her eyes, and her ear caught a familiar voice:

"Because, I'm a violinist!"

Tears welled up in her eyes, gradually blurring her vision.

When she opened her eyes again, the scene changed: the concert hall was gone, the cheering audience was gone, and they were back in the dark room. Sun did not know when to stand up, the head slightly bowed, trying to avoid the eyes of the blonde girl directly facing her; her yellow cloak was also hanging down, and it seemed that it did not want to face the blonde girl as well.

"I remember that afternoon," The blonde recalled, as if chatting with an old friend, "When I heard the cheers from the audience, I really felt the kindness and warmth from the world to me, as well as the boy's shock and emotion, all of which made me know that my efforts were not in vain. I think, at that moment, I saw the most beautiful scenery on the earth."

"There is still light."

"Where... where is it?" asked Sun, still low and bewildered.

"It's in everyone's heart."

Sun quivered slightly.

"Do you remember the two children who sent you the flowers? I still remember their enthusiasm and your beautiful and innocent smile. Don't you remember?

"Do you remember when you and Kousei sneaked into the classroom on a moonlit night and poured out your hearts to the moon? I still remember he exclaiming 'the moon is beautiful.' Don't you remember?"

"Do you remember that conversation you had with that fish–eyed teenager that afternoon? I remember you were so confident; you always thought most people were good people. You were so handsome! Don't you remember?

Sun's face darkened as it watched the glad face of the fair girl, and listened while pressing her anger.

"Do you remember..."

"Enough!" Sun roared with fury, and trembled with anger. "I am strong, but what's the use! The world is still a piece of darkness!"

The blonde girl paused for a moment, then put on a serious expression.

"Do you really think so?" She said, as if reprimanding Sun. "Are you so easily defeated by him?"

"How can I do?" Sun's voice was still trembling with anger.

"Well, you don't remember that. I need to wake you up."

The blonde girl suddenly took a step forward; their eyes were only a few centimetres apart. Sun was frightened and attempted to step back, but found she could not take a step.

"Look me in the eye." The blonde demanded. Sun tried to resist, but she failed. Another girl's eyes were the same blue as hers, only with sparkles in them.

"What – do – you – see?"

Sun was silent.

"Come on." The blonde's voice softened a little. "The look on your face tells me that you can see the light, even if you don't know it."

Sun froze for seconds.

"Where... where did I see it?"

"In the history that 'Quasimodo' tells you. You do not know, but I do know, in the ebony despair and depression, you saw a ray of light."

"The tyrant was finally overthrown, you know; the combined effort of his people ended his brutal rule. Isn't that a bit of light?"

"But... after that..."

Sun tried to argue, but suddenly got stuck.

"Do you think there was no struggle in the catastrophe of which he afterwards spoke? Despite the unspeakable degree of repression, both government officials and ordinary people tried to redress his mistakes. Most of them failed, but they indirectly contributed to the end of the disaster – and the beginning of a new era. That country opened its door and is now prospering, and that's partly because of the disaster."

"Indeed..." Sun's voice died away.

"Let's move on to three other examples he gave. American Indians, black people, women and other minorities... They have been treated unfairly throughout history, but they have been fighting. What else? How did the laws to protect Native Americans come about? Where did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 19th amendment come from?" The blonde laughed, "It couldn't have come out of nowhere, anyway."

"So?" said Sun, settling herself. "What are you trying to say?"

"I think you've only seen the tails of the coin, not the heads." The blonde girl's voice fell. "Light and darkness go together. He said, when we stand before the light, the shadow is behind us. And I say, though the shadow is behind us, at least we have the light yonder, whether it is your journey as a performer or a superhero, or someone else's life, or the history of humanity as a whole.

Sun listened intently and nodded unconsciously. She's right. I have seen only one side.

"And the light comes from us."

"Although I belong to the past, I can see the future. And, in the future that I saw, you successfully defeated the monster, continue to live as Sun, made up with Kousei, even..." The blonde laughed. "You've got a nice outfit."

"Is it?!" The confidence in Sun's nature slowly returned to her, and she even forgot for a moment the pain of her fall on the ground. "I really kicked the s**t out of that guy?"

"That... is up to you."

The blonde girl closed her eyes, gave a big smile, and disappeared with the light behind her. Sun stretched out her arm hastily in that direction, but it was too late: the one who had given her strength was gone, and the room was dark again.

Sun looked down in disappointment and thought:

"Is it... hallucinations?"

Maybe. I just imagined that. It can't be true. I was so careless. I was so busy all day, thinking about all kinds of things, and I even hallucinated.

Not at all. It's not an illusion. It's your own voice.

Sun suddenly heard her own voice. She looked back in wonder, but there was nothing. Then she looked left, then right, then in every direction, and saw nothing as well.

Well, don't hesitate. Now you know what to do.

That voice again.

Sun looked down in horror, and was surprised to find that her golden lips were moving for some unknown reason.

This... Is it really me?

Different thoughts flashed through Sun's mind, shaking her will.

Yes or no, yes or no, yes or no...

"Go!" said Sun, gritting her teeth and determined. "I have no reason not to go!"

I must make it, mustn't I? I still have a reason to live on. If there are positive aspects of history, I don't have to worry about it, right?

Sun slowly raised her head, looked around, and saw only the darkness of the room, but she was no longer afraid; she seemed to see the stars in the sky, gazing tenderly at her.

"Good! Let everyone know now, and win the game with their power!"

Sun was so excited that she felt her body full of power again, and even her cloak fluttered behind her, just as it had done for the first time. She clenched her fists, waved them in the air, and looked determined.

Outside the window in the dark night, a star slowly passed; it was the only light on the dark velvet.

* * *

"It's been really rough out here..."

In one room of a high–rise apartment building in the middle of the city, a man in gray pajamas was sitting on his bed, his right thumb swiping constantly on the glowing cellphone screen in front of him.

He was a thin man, in his forties and fifties, with weedy hair, a bushy beard and a dirty face. His eyelids were heavy and his bloodshot eyes showed only a small crack. White tables were littered with programming books, as well as a computer monitor and a lamp, which, though turned off, had a slight heat. A thin layer of dust covered the left bookshelf filled with modern literature.

The man looked at the social news on his phone and sighed.

"Well, as soon as the superhero was not out there, the fox tail came off it. Now this city is really terrible; ten crimes a day, not to mention unreported 's wrong with us?"

He turned off the screen, placed it next to his pillow, and then laid himself back on the bed, thinking about the question.

"Well, maybe I'm just as same as them: we all live for the sake of living, and our hearts are numb; we don't understand the meaning of life at all. Why should I accuse them? Well, better sleep now and get back to programming tomorrow."

The man yawned and soon fell asleep.

...

"Hello."

A gentle and mysterious voice suddenly arose in the man's ears startling him. He wondered who it was, opened his eyes, and was surprised to find that his bedroom had somehow disappeared, and nothing was here.

Under his feet was a plain white ground, without a tiled lattice or any scratches, as if it had not been made of matter. The man looked around: all he could see was the thick fog and the white sky. In a word, he felt he had come to the mysterious visionary palace in Sekiro, but the ancient architecture was not here.

The man froze.

Is it a dream? He asked himself.

"Yes. It is indeed your dream, but it was constructed by me."

It was the mysterious voice again, sounding like a female. The man couldn't help but look forward doubtfully, then almost fell to the ground.

In the distance stood a figure; she was the same Sun he had seen so many times on the news.

Yes, that was her. The long blond hair, the big blue eyes, the crown of gold crystals, the patterned masks, the glistening boots, and the light behind them all convinced the man that the girl in front of him was indeed the superhero. But he couldn't believe it; even though he thought she was real, he felt strange when he actually saw her in person.

He tried to open his lips, trying to give a salutation: "Hello."

"Hello."

It was the same soft voice, so soft that he let his guard down.

"May I ask why I am here?"

He asked, puzzled, with the same courtesy he had had in his childhood, gazing into the distant Sun.

Sun said nothing but smiled and walked slowly in his direction. As she approached, the man studied her more closely. As he had read in the news, her face was full of optimism and innocence, her eyes full of youthful energy and hope, but with something new: determination, maturity, and what the seniors called "the calm after experiencing all the difficulties in the world". Perhaps she had thought it over in the few days since she disappeared, he thought.

Sun came within a step of him, bowed slowly in his direction, and straightened up. The man wondered: I should have bowed to such a nice person, he thought. Why would she do that instead?

He was about to open his mouth to express his doubts, when Sun spoke first:

"I invited you here. I built this dream, and I let you fall into it, just so you could listen to me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

What's going on here? What the hell is this guy doing? The man's mind was a mess.

While he was wondering what the matter was, she spoke again:

"I must apologize to you and everyone in this city. I was depressed for so many days because of a temporary setback, and now I regret it very much."

In it was a palpable apology, and a not–so–palpable regret.

What...

He was surprised and tried to compose himself to make sure what he heard was true.

"I hope my explanation will satisfy you."

The man nodded without expression. It depends on you, he thought.

"You know the monster that took my name a week ago."

The man, though still puzzled, thought for a moment that he had indeed seen the news – he had also posted a comment below – and nodded to let her on.

"At that time, the monster also attacked me in low spirits, and almost killed me. I was wondering why I, who had always been so strong, would lose that guy. Now I know why: it is my dark side. It is my own fear and helplessness."

As Sun told her story, the man's doubts dissipated, but he still had several questions. He rubbed his dry eyes and went on thinking.

What was she doing when she disappeared these days? What had happened to her before she decided to talk to me? Most of all, she seemed to have a request, but what was that? He wanted to know.

Just as he was about to ask his own question, Sun seemed to have understood him, shook her head sorrowfully, and answered:

"These days, I have been in great agony like a walking dead, do not like to think or face the reality, and cannot taste flavors of food; my heart was dark, I had given up all hope, and I thought I was naive. When I think about it now, I realize that I have been wrong."

Her voice was so low that even the ray of light behind her darkened.

The man was even more puzzled. How could she, who has always been sunny, think so? She is the "woman of liberty" whom everyone worships. How could she sink in such pain?

Sun seemed to ignore his question and went on talking. Her voice lightened, but the man thought she was just faking it.

"Then, as I was struggling in the abyss, a voice saved me. In the room with only one lamp, the voice gave me infinite despair, but also gave me unbounded hope. It made me realize my mistake, so I made up my mind to stand here and apologize to you."

"Well, you don't..." Feeling a little reluctant, the man held out his left hand to dissuade her from being so hard on herself, but stopped.

"The voice said that I had to count on everyone – including you – to get out of the darkness and into the light."

The man suddenly perceived that something was wrong with his ears. What can I do for her? How can we ordinary Joes help her? He wondered.

"It tells me in great detail the unspeakably miserable history that I do not wish to remember: tyrants, unjust treatment, and countless cries – all because the heroes of the past were deified and thus committed mistakes that led to irreparable damage, and I was on the same path, one step away from destruction. But it also pointed me in a new direction: like the heroes of the past, fighting the darkness with ordinary people and finally ushering in a new tomorrow. It cruelly shattered all my illusions about the world, but it picked them up from the ground and forged my sword and shield for me."

"Heroes of the past..." The man murmured. Although he was not sure whether Sun was telling the truth, he could not deny her wishful thinking when he saw her confident eyes and straight back.

Sun's tone suddenly became serious, surprising him.

"I know it may sound ridiculous, I know you will suspect, laugh at or ignore me, but nevertheless, I will still put forward my naïve and frail idea, because I have no retreat – I have to do this.

"I must ask you to lend me a hand."

How can I help you? I can't fly around all day, and I'm also too weak to fight gangsters. He thought.

"I do not ask you to fight, as I do, against terrible criminals. No, I know it's unrealistic; but I ask you to realize justice in your own way. The next time you see someone running a red light or cutting in line, do your best to dissuade him or her; if there is a quarrel on the bus, you should not turn a blind eye to it; if you see trolls on the Internet, don't just stand by, since a few words may change everything."

"That's easy to say, but..." The man understood Sun's will, but he was still skeptical. Are you sure? He could not stop thinking.

Then Sun bowed again, and remained as motionless as she had been on the roof, pleading him. Her voice grew urgent:

"So, please! I hope you can make a contribution to this city. This society needs all of us to work together. I'm not the only one who needs you; in fact, we all need each other."

The man started and took a step back.

"I alone can't do much; But if we stand together, nothing is impossible."

Sun slowly lifted her head and stared at the man in front of her. The man saw her huge, blue eyes – full of life, optimism and hope as usual, but with a little more mature and firmness, like a flowing spring in the mountains and a tranquil lake in the sun.

She may be right, he thought.

"I know you may not agree with what I have just said, but think it over before you come to your own conclusions. I won't force you to do anything; however, to make a change, to dispel the darkness, we must act.

"The longest night will also pass, and the morning star will rise in the east. Then you can make your own decision.

"Thank you for listening to me.

The man suddenly felt his eyeball ache and blinked his eyes. He was surprised to find that the scene in front of him had changed: the golden figure was gradually covered by the thick fog like a mosquito net and grew blurred until it finally disappeared and merged into a piece of pure white.

He became sleepy again, closed his eyes and fell into a heavy sleep.

* * *

"What the...?!"

The man almost fell out of bed with a cry.

He had just woken up bleary–eyed from an extremely strange dream in his grey pyjamas, and instinctively picked up the phone on his right hand, which was next to his pillow, when he saw an odd tweet.

"How strange! I was on duty at the police station at about two o 'clock last night. I fell asleep, saw Sun, who apologized and asked me to help others. Then I woke up, looked at my watch and saw that the time had not changed at all! Can someone explain to me what happened?!"

The tweet was from a college classmate who worked in the police department. Although the two attended different departments in college, they befriended because of their common interest in literature. Now due to busy work, the two seldom contact.

"Time hasn't changed at all... What the hell is this?"

The man couldn't help but be greatly puzzled and stumbled to run to the bathroom to wash gargle, while his trembling finger were inputing text and searching what happened last night on the Internet.

Sure enough. It seemed that everyone in the city fell asleep at the same time and had the same dream, met the same Sun, received the same greetings and requests, and even many people living outside the city had the same dream. Moreover, those who were awake both before and after the event agreed that the time on their watches had not changed at all.

There had been no official word on the matter, but many people in and around the city were already discussing it. Speculation was rife, and the most controversial of all was whether it was Sun herself.

"Ah..."

The metal spoon he was holding fell to the ground with a ringing sound. I'm glad my jaw didn't drop, he said to himself.

The man shook his head, bent down to pick up the spoon as usual, and tried not to think about it, but strangely enough, the more he did so, the more the figure of the sun came into his mind, and the more he recalled her sincere request. He gritted his teeth and tried to tell himself to concentrate on breakfast, but his mouth and tongue wouldn't listen: every mouthful of cereal tasted like plywood, every drop of milk like water. He even bit his tongue and it took him a few seconds to realize that.

What's wrong with me today? Out of my mind? He thought.

After this tasteless breakfast, he dressed quickly, tied his tie, hurried into his shoes – he was so busy that he put one on inside out – and then walked out the door, pretending not to hurry, and slammed it shut.

He waited for the elevator in the corridor, bored. The cold blast from the window made him shiver, and he scolded himself why he didn't wear one more coat.

"It's April. How can it be so chilly?" He muttered to himself.

He hurried downstairs to the bus stop and waited slowly. Although it was now spring, the weather turned out to be unusually cold, as if time had relapsed to last year's severe winter. Pedestrians dressed as he did: colorful shirts were replaced by dark coats. Even the sky was leaden and seemed unsatisfied with the frigid weather.

The bus stop was very crowded, about twenty or thirty people. They formed a neat line, and none of them spoke, as if their voices were frozen.

Has spring really come? He thought.

He stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance. It was a long time before he saw a bus coming slowly in his direction. There was a slight commotion in the queue, which increased as the bus approached, like a swarm of ants hungry for food.

By the time the bus finally came to a screeching halt, the people in front of him had grown impatient and were quickly huddling under the doors: they could clearly see that the bus was crowded with people going to work or school and that there were a few seats left.

People jostled in a chaotic crowd, nervously holding their briefcases in their left hands, their right hands waving instinctively in the air, trying to hold on to nothing. His face grew disgusted, and he tried to get out of the mess as quickly as possible and find a comfortable seat in the car – his office was an hour away.

"Ah!"

There was a sudden scream of pain from the crowd under the door. Absorbed by the scream, he turned away with difficulty, yet unable to see who was asking for help. The man thought he was hearing wrong and shook his head to turn around, but he felt his pant legs being pulled by a pair of hands.

This is not an illusion; the hands come from below him.

The man looked down in surprise and saw a little boy lying on the ground. The boy was about seven or eight years old; he was a slight figure in the uniform of a primary school in the city. Now he was huddled on the ground, trembling, looking at the trousers moving around him. Needless to say, the people were too busy getting on the bus to notice him.

Startled, the man stood still; the crowd behind him were pushing forward and almost toppled him. Without thinking twice, he crouched down to resist the impact of the crowd, grabbed the fallen boy by the hand, then slowly pulled him to his feet and then with great effort pulled him onto the bus. Others didn't notice; their faces contorted, as if they had been canned, until the driver closed the door and the bus moved on at a snail's pace.

The rescued boy opened his mouth wide and stared at the man who had just saved him from the crowd, The man just patted the dust on his clothes as if nothing had happened. The boy could not help but feel a little guilty, slightly lowered his head, and whispered to him, "I'm sorry, sir... sorry to trouble you..."

He almost shed tears.

The man turned back and gave him a big smile. "It's okay." He said, "You have to take care of yourself." Then he turned his head and said nothing more, but slowly squeezed into the crowd behind the bus.

The boy's face was full of were no tears in the corners of his eyes, but he looked at the ordinary man in the distance, and a feeling of respect welled up in his heart.

Is this what sister Sun said about them...

In the distance, the man he called "sir" seemed to have forgotten what had happened and to be thinking again. He was a little surprised: he didn't even think about it when he just picked up the little boy, as if some higher power were guiding him. Besides, he had just felt a force in his arms, perhaps because the forces were mutual.

Suddenly, for some reason, he felt a bright, warm sunshine on his baffled mind and everything was clearer.

So this is to help others... It doesn't take a feat, it doesn't take money, fame, power and so–called superpowers; it just takes a helping hand and a warm smile to penetrate the darkness and spread the light.

It turns out that we're all the same.

The man smiled happily. He turned to look at the windows in the distance and noticed that the dark clouds hovering on the sky had cleared away before he knew when. The golden sunshine was on his shoulders, like tassels on the victor's shoulders.

He smiled in the direction of the sun and said to himself:

"Thank you, Sun."

The girl he thanked was now standing in a tall building not far from the center of the city, looking down at the heavy traffic below and feeling upset.

Will they answer my call? Or will they, as usual, turn a blind eye to all this? The kid I bet on, and what he stands for... Will they really win? She thought.

The sun shone down on her, but she felt no warmth; only the cold wind was whistling around her.

...

After leaving the boy's house – he had not come out to greet her, it seemed he had gone to play games, she thought crossly – she was carried away by some mysterious force to some strange place, and it was not until she landed slowly on it that she recognized it as the roof of the tallest building in the middle of the city.

As far as her eyes could see she looked up at the lower part, she saw a steady stream of traffic, the city lights made a surge of a piece of sea, and the streets were full of noise and the streaming colors, even the tall wall screen she stood by also showed the colorful characters "Happy Birthday, Kiro" and a blonde young boy's smiling photos, but under her feet was darkness, as if it were an invisible cage.

Now what... What to do! She bit her lip, thinking nervously that she had a headache.

Sun thought long and hard. An idea came into her mind. She clapped her hands together carefully, hoping that the voice would guide her. Perhaps a prayer to that voice would help, she thought.

Suddenly, a few black streaks appeared before Sun's eyes, which then expanded into a black mist, blotting out the brightly lit city and separating it from the light. Terrified, she tried to take a step, but fell to the ground with a flop. Instinctively she wanted to shout for help, but before she could do so she fainted and lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was already in the visionary field.

Sun looked around doubtfully, but saw nothing but a thick white fog. Strangely, she felt as if she had been there before, but she could not remember. Perhaps I am in a dream, she thought.

Or is this the dream I created?

At the height of her doubts, her own voice spoke just right again:

Don't be afraid.

Perhaps she was accustomed to dialogue with their own, Sun actually perceived no fear. Her expression was less frightened than it had been before, and she relaxed a little, standing more firmly on her legs.

You are now in your own dream, and before you stand everyone in this city, but they can only see you.

Sun listened to the voice of the instructions, the mood gradually turned from panic to calmness, like a peaceful after the ripples of the storm. The white mist gradually faded, revealing countless figures ahead: men and women, young and old, from all walks of life, from primary school students to people in their 70s, from ordinary office workers to well–known entrepreneurs, and even criminals she had seen for more than a month. They all stood where they were, confounded.

She looked at the people of the city in front of her, praying that she would succeed in calling on them to change for the better.

Go ahead. Go tell them your goal. Let them know that you are the same as them and that you need them now. Go and disperse the clouds and let the sun shine in here.

Sun smiled, walked up and said to them,

"Hello."

...

A gust of wind blew across Sun's cheek, pulling her mind back to reality. She lowered her head somewhat perplexed, and slowly looked down at those people, with a mixture of emotions.

She had just seen what was going on online. The self–constructed dream event had been trending on twitter and covered on major Japanese news websites, and the comment section of the news site had become a bit of a ruckus. She swope her fingers furiously at the screen and browsing the comments, some leading to a knowing smile, some letting her cry, some to a regretful sigh, some leading to her almost breaking her phone.

Out of the last kind it was the boy's comment that drew her most attention. He was, as usual, full of banter and serious:

"Have you received the greetings from Miss Sun? Seriously, I didn't know she was going to do it; how dare she thinks and acts! However, to dare to do is one thing, to do well is another thing. It depends not only on Sun, but also on you. If anything should go wrong with you, I should be ashamed. Ashamed!"

The comments that made her sigh were the same:

"Is that a mentally retarded jerk the night before? Disturbing my sleep with just one thing? I'm too busy with my own business to do yours! You think I'm as gullible as a three–year–old."

"Oh, my god, please! Don't give me so much moral pressure! I do beg you."

"Really, if you want to be brave, go kora! Don't say anything useless."

...

However, Sun also saw some comments in support of her.

"I don't think this sort of thing is difficult. For those who say it's hard, haven't you ever picked up litter on the ground? Haven't you shown anyone the way? It will be of no use to do nothing.

Looking at these words, Sun smiled a little. She knew that the Twitter debate wasn't that important: it didn't bother her that people say they don't want to help, and it didn't delight her that people say they want to help more, because, as the boy put it, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Faith without works is dead.

She nodded subconsciously, mumbling, repeating the words she could not agree with more.

Those people argue online, but will they actually do something about it? Do they just utter a few words and then do nothing? Sun thought and became frowning and worried.

What's that?

The sun suddenly felt her tired eyes exuberant, her heart also became warmer, as if sensing some energy. She could not help but tremble, looked at the crowd below, and indeed saw the source of the warmth at heart: under the crowded bus, a middle–aged man helped a little boy who fell to the ground.

Sun smiled. Although she knew that such deed may not be noteworthy for her, it was true kindness to the common folks and all people who need help. She did feel more: her face lost a trace of helplessness and worry and gained confidence, as if the grey clouds had passed and left a cloudless and clear sky.

That is the real work! It is better to do a good deed in reality than to swear allegiance a thousand times online, Sun thought.

Sun's heart soon felt a lot of kindness from ordinary people. These good works came from all corners of the city of people from all walks of life, although the specific deeds differ: a grocery store owner gifted students facing exams steamed stuffed bun to cheer them up, a bus drivers waited patiently for the last one of the passengers, a high school students tried to dissuade others from runnning the red light.

As the light of the city grew, so did the temperature in Sun's heart, until it was ready to burst out of her. By this time she had changed a great deal: her eyes had returned to their former energy, confidence and beauty, and her large blue eyes had changed from dry puddles to rich lakes. Her dress sparkled, and her cloak fluttered proudly behind her, like the flag of a victorious army. There were a few glistening tears at the corners of her eyes, but they tasted sweet.

Sun looked happily to the horizon and saw a rainbow. It was both a natural phenomenon and the result of the unity of the people of the city – chromatic lights.

She let out a long sigh of relief she had not felt in a long time.

"Quasimodo, you seem to be losing your bet."

Just as she said this, Sun grew galvanized again, for a little black dot came into her mind – a black dot moving very fast on the map of the city. Sun knew that this was the message she had been longing for, the key to her victory over the shadow: its exact location.

This power is not mine alone, she thought, but is given to me by the people of goodwill of the city. Now we are all in one.

"My victory has been sealed."

Sun jumped down again. Even though it had been a long time since she had become Sun, she still felt the scene was very similar.

"I am love, I am hope, I am the light that guards the world. I am Sun!"

* * *

"Why... My chest is so tight!"

In a quiet alley at the southeast corner of the city, a shadow was running fast. There was no expression on his face, only a mass of darkness, and his whole body was an unfathomable blackness, like a ominous crow.

Strangely, the figure seemed to be running for his life. If one saw this scene, he or she would be greatly surprised: what stirred up the god of death's fear?

Fortunately, a few words from his own heavy breathing provided a clue:

"Damn, one bad thing after another! Ever since that overweening girl had bewitched the whole town last night, I felt so dizzy and so stuffy in my chest, as if I had been blocked up, and my flying feet had slowed down! And I can't change into her!" You could even imagine its expression of exasperation, like that of a thief who was sure of his triumph but found himself always failing.

"Maybe her humbug just worked?"

"Impossible!" He instantly denied this idea and exclaimed in a fit of pique, "That damned girl is sure to perish! Her death and the end of the city is... inexorable!"

The shadow did not notice that, in the sky above it, a golden light was flying across like a shooting star on the black canvas.

As he was running, his eye he caught a golden dot and his heart sank. What's that? It can't be her, can it? He thought, a little frightened.

"Your time is up!"

A voice suddenly howled. With a slight tremor, he tried to look ahead with feigned contempt, and a familiar figure appeared in his eyes – a young girl in a golden dress.

Yes, it was the returning superhero, Sun, who was defeated by the shadow at ease days before, and now she was ready to vanquish him. She was now standing with confidence and authority.

The shadow knew that he was very likely to fall into Sun's hands. It trembled all over, and tried to raise his voice to hide his fear by feigning contempt.

"Shame on you!" cried Sun indignantly, striding in the shadow's direction as she spoke, hes expression unchanged. At this moment, her heart was fueled with righteous anger and agitation that she could finally exterminate the shadow, but she still chose to keep calm; she didn't want to lose her head at a crucial moment.

"You have done so much wrong in this city and almost killed me. However, thank you for letting me know I have a lot of people to rely on! Now, I will gather the strength of all people, and purify you!"

The shadow felt a moment of fear, and the black seemed a little more sombre. He began to think about how he could suppress Sun but thought of no way, as if his thoughts were also blocked by Sun's strength.

Sun was still coming steadily towards him, and showed no sign of shrinking.

A dark thought suddenly flashed through him, and his heart was filled with ecstasy. He made an effort to control himself, and said, slowly and playfully,

"I have a question for you."

"What?" Sun did not expect that the killer would ask questions at this time, so she stopped.

Secretly pleased, he felt that she had taken the bait. He boldly stepped forward and asked the fatal question aloud:

"How are you getting along with your boyfriend?"

"Ah..."

There was a clap of thunder in Sun's instantly reminded of her deep trauma of that afternoon: the sunset and the still air, their faces flushed because of anger and frustation, deafening uproar, and her eyes imbued with bitter tears – everything in her mind were looping, because this moment for her wound was too deep. She shook her head wildly, trying to free herself from the illusion she had constructed, only to find, to her horror, that she could not move a step further.

Now!

The shadow, taking the precious opportunity of Sun's inattention, let out a terrible laugh, and as he did his best, sent from the left side of his body a powerful and frightful beam of black light, like an executioner who cuts a huge blade to the head of a criminal.

Sun, still passively absorbed in her own trauma, did not notice the black beam, and was flung to the ground as she had been pushed in front by some one.

"Ah!"

A scream shot out of her throat out of fear and resistance.

The shadow was glad to see that he had got her, and was so excited that it kept shooting black beams at the fallen superhero, and used them to fasten Sun's hands and feet to the ground like lead handcuffs and shackles. Sun struggled in vain to free herself from her cage.

"No!" She screamed in horror. She never thought she would be distracted by a word from the shadow, nor she did expect her advantage to be turned over in such a short time.

There is still a shadow in my heart, she thought. For some reason she suddenly felt less fearful. "I have done my best," she thought sadly.

The shadow stomped with triumph and deliberation, mocking his proud adversary. It was now ready to wipe that guy off the face of the earth.

The sky and the earth darkened.

A clear, sharp birdsong broke out. It seemed far away from this world, like a trumpet blown by an angel before the endtime. It cut through the heavy air in the alley in an instant, and the executioner and the prisoner who was waiting for her death were stunned.

What's that?

The shadow's body trembled and his steps slowed noticeably. Sun knew not why he was so frightened by the cry of a bird, lifted her heavy head and looked up into the sky at the source of the sound.

A huge golden bird was flying in the sky, just past the sun. Its golden wings reached to the horizon, and behind it stretched the glittering, fiery ribbon, and its whole body was as one with the rays of the sun.

The blonde girl who was imprisoned on the ground suddenly remembered a legend, a legend about the divine bird: the eternal being, the incarnation of the light, the rebirth... Words popped out of the depths of her mind, and for a moment her head was so dizzy that she almost passed out. She rummaged in her mind but couldn't remember the name of the divine bird.

The figure stared in amazement at the wonder of the world and stood still.

At this point, the flying bird suddenly stopped, and then began to dive down fast that it was a golden silhouette.

It swooped in the direction of Sun.

The blonde girl on the ground was so confused that she did not notice the golden bird swooping towards her.

Before the shadow rushed forward in horror, the golden bird had hit on Sun lying on the ground, issued a deafening sound, releasing a dazzling white light like a thousand suns, a meteorite from outer space or a mushroom cloud falling slowly.

The bird descended on Sun, who suddenly felt a sharp pain and lost consciousness without screaming.

...

"Hello."

A gentle female voice suddenly sounded in Sun's brain.

She had not yet regained consciousness, and her eyes could not open, but she could hear the sound clearly. Puzzled, she asked the voice carefully, "Who are you?"

"I am the immortal legend and the angel of light, I am the Bird Phoenix." replied the voice.

A lightning flashed across Sun's mind. She was momentarily shocked, and it was a long time before she exclaimed:

"Ah? Are you the Phoenix?!I thought you were just a myth!"

"No, I am real – I have existed long ago."Answered the voice.

Sun now had a lot of questions, and she wanted to consult the legendary Phoenix.

"Why did you fly over here? Why rushing in my direction?"

"I was startled by an illuminating light in the sky that I had never seen before. I wondered what made the city shining so wonderfully, so I came here and found that the main source of the light was in an alley. Strangely, the light seemed a little dimmer than before, and almost disappeared; however, it seemed to tell me that it wants to get stronger.

"I looked down and saw that it was a blonde girl in strange clothes, who called herself Sun, lying flat on the ground, bound by something. I know from this light that she not only has great strength and tenacity, but also knows how to accept others' help, which brings all the light together."

Sun silently listened to the Phoneix.

"It shook me so much that I decided to give this girl my strength."

Phoenix finished all this, her tone became serious, and she requested:

"So, are you willing to accept the power of the Phoenix?"

The girl said nothing, thinking of her past : the life–changing decision at the age of five, the most affectionate confession at the age of fourteen, the excitement of becoming Sun for the first time on the roof at night, the despair and hope mingling in the dark room, and the unforgettable dialogue in the pure white fantasy...

All these are my gifts to the world.

I don't want to die so soon. I have more work to do.

Sun smiled and said with confidence:

"Yes."

Then she felt a warm current come over her. Her limbs were now full of life and power, her mind cleared, and her eyes, which had been closed for a long time, opened as if she was a new life that had just left her mother's body.

This is the rebirth of the Phoenix

Sun opened her eyes and saw the same alley, but with many changes.

She floated upright in the air, her limbs freed from the chains that held her fast on the ground, and the maker of the chains looked at her in horror: she had changed.

The golden mask of Sun's face was gone, replaced by an engraved golden helmet that stretched from her upper face to the back of her head. On the forehead of the helmet was a golden heart-shaped crystal, and on the face, the joined golden mask formed a "V" shape at the edge, like the beak of a bird, and the golden long hair stretched out freely from under the helmet, like growing wild grass. A pair of big eyes showed no innocent blue but golden, a symbol of beauty and justice.

The cloak behind Sun was gone and replaced by a golden heart-shaped crystal, and behind it a pair of huge yellow wings which grew from Sun's back; thousands of hard feathers glistened under the sunshine.

On her legs were the same golden boots with beautiful and mysterious patterns, and at the top were glittering heart-shaped crystals. She had become one with the Phoenix of light.

Elegant and confident, sunny and powerful. Sun knew that all this was due to those who had entrusted her with power.

She witnessed her new life, could not help but excited to send out a phoenix cry, loud, clear and firm, as a call for the army to charge forward.

"I am the avatar of love and hope, the goddess of beauty and strength. I am Sun Phoenix!"

Blinded by the intensity of the light, the shadow retreated step by step, but it was too late.

In a second Sun's raised right hand shot out a very strong light straight on the shadow. The latter then cried out in agony, its body was also a little bit curled up, like a small balloon about to explode.

With a loud bang, the shadow, like an open flower, instantly exploded into hundreds of pieces of black debris, fell to the ground, and then disappeared.

The lane was quiet again, only Sun floated at the end. She gazed at the empty lane, could not help but showed a big, confident and lively smile, and her golden lips were particularly beautiful.

She suddenly remembered something, lifted her head haughtily, gazed at the sun in the sky, and spoke an old and mysterious line word by word:

"A second Sun in the sky, a second Truth."

Then she pulled out her wings and flew toward the light in the sky.

* * *

"To tell you the truth, your new dress looks very nice."

It was the same roof and the same pair of boy and girl, but time had passed a few days, and the costume that the girl wore also differed.

At this moment, the boy named Kousei was sitting comfortably on the roof, enjoying the warmth of the sunset while staring at the blonde girl standing in front of him with a pair of huge golden wings stretching behind her.

The two were now reconciled. Kousei reflected on it for a few days and felt that he was a little too excited that afternoon. Later, he saw Sun in his dream and heard about it from Tsubaki and Watari, so he felt even more incredible and decided to apologize to her.

Kaori in her new suit (Kousei was startled by it) accepted his apology from the rooftop and apologized to him, and the two were reunited. However, Kaori had not forgotten his promise...

"I say, when are you going to buy me that bag of Canelé?" The blonde girl piquantly bent down in the direction of the boy and looked down at him.

"You still can't forget about eating..." Kousei smiled awkwardly and gently. He looked at the goddess before him and asked a question he did not understand: "Where does your power – that mighty power – come from?"

Kaori answered with a smile and a relaxed tone, "It comes from the heart of everyone." She looked down on the city she loved: the hustle and bustle and sounds filling the streets. Each time she looked down on the city, her gratitude to everyone increased, and she became more determined to protect them.

"I see that a single ray of light is nothing; only the rainbow of many lights is the most brilliant.

Kousei smiled happily and nodded his head. He had not been so happy for a long time.

"Oh, look at this." Kaori suddenly remembered something. She took out her mobile phone from her pocket, turned it over to a tweet, and happily handed it to Kousei.

He saw that it was the tweet of "Quasimodo":

"I want to apologize to the superhero Miss Sun. I said in the dark night a day ago that the sun would be compressed into a black hole. Today I looked it up and found that it was untrue: the diameter of the sun is too small. I am amazed that you are able to mobilize the people of the whole city, thus successfully defeating the darkness and gaining new strength in yourself. In any case, you have changed my view of human nature. Thank you and apologize again."

"This guy's tweet is not like that." Kousei said in surprise.

"That's because he lost the bet!" Kaori smugly smiled, as if the dead-fish-eyed boy was standing in front of her.

"What bet?" asked Kousei, interested and curious.

"Let me tell you. That night..."

The afterglow of the sunset was on the roof, Kaori's and everyone's heart.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 8**

"What a a hindrance."

Sun said regrettably as she proudly shook her great golden wings on back.

She stood in front of a wall in an alley. Behind her lay dozens of black cuboids about one meter long. The golden sun cast long shadows on the ground.

With a closer look it is clear: they were all men in their 20s and 30s. They were all dressed in dark, clean suits, their faces comical with incongruent black veils, sharp knives in their hands, and some had scars on their eyes.

Now they lay motionless on their faces, eyes and lips closed, limbs stretched out like flatbread in a wok - no doubt they had been defeated by Sun.

"So unfortunate! They just picked me." Sun shook her head and said, "These lecherous men follow up to take advantage of a girl as they see her. I don't know what they are doing."

"But Sun is stronger than ever." She looked down at the fallen gangsters, then raised her clenched left hand and smiled at it. "Sun's sensors can detect conditions within ten kilometers, and her beams can stun a dozen people at a time. And Sun can also be invisible for a longer period of time, so she can turn the tide better when surrounded! Sun is stronger now, and she can protect everything!"

She looked up with ecstasy, admiring her sunlit wings behind her. Her big golden eyes glittered like stars, and she put out her right hand and caressed the feathers on them. The golden sun cast on her body, communing her with warmth and strength.

Sun was about to fly away when a colorful sheet was blown over by the wind, slowly turned in the air a few times, and finally stopped at her feet. She couldn't help but be attracted by this sheet, and then stretched out her left hand, sucked it to her hand by her super gravity, then began to read it.

It had an orange background with words saying "Spring Cosplay Convention" in large red letters on top, and words in a smaller size and black lettering underneath it read:

"A cosplay event for all: anyone can take part. Whether you're an inexperienced novice or a seasoned veteran, we all need you to show your love to your waifu/husbando! Location: out of the oncert hall, Time: morning of April 21."

Sun looked at the sheet and gradually smiled. Unconsciously, she nodded and said:

"'A cosplay extravaganza for all'... In that case, Sun can join in, too." said Sun excitedly, recalling all the cosers she had seen before. She was struck by their fine clothes and make-up, their elated faces and imitations. Sun longed for joining them; however, she could not make it due to time constraint.

Now she had another chance presented to her.

"Yes, yes, great!" Sun happily screamed as a phenoix, and then threw the paper to the sky, clenched her hands on her chest, and her golden eyes were full of excitement and happiness, "This will not take up too much time and energy, not to mention Sun now has more powerful power and more vitality So Sun will show her own light! This is an excellent opportunity!"

Murmuring excitedly, she drew out her wings and strove to the sky like the geese that head south every winter in the temperate zone.

* * *

"Are you so sure?"

Kousei frowned, clenched his chin with his left hand, and tightened his coat slightly from time to time because of the cold breeze. He glared suspiciously through his heavy glasses at the smiling blonde in front of him with a helpless countenance. "You'd better think twice."

"No." The blonde girl raised her head haughtily, closed her eyes, and shook her index finger with her left hand in disgust, then replied, "I've made up my mind that I'm going to take part in this event. I must!" Her voice sounded relaxed but determined. "I haven't been doing anything lately, so I have a lot of time and energy at my disposal. Besides, April in spring is the season of life, and it would be a pity if I shut myself at home!"

Kousei sighed and asked, "But have you prepared well? Like characters, costumes, tips..."

"Don't worry! It will work!" The blonde girl laid out her hands and smiled. "I've already chosen the character, Supergirl in DC universe - the blonde girl named Kara."

"Supergirl - sounds good." Kousei said calmly. Still, he knew not if Kaori was ready.

"Hey, you want to know why I chose her?" Kaori was delighted, "She's so much like me! The same blond hair and blue eyes, the same strength gained by the sun, and even our personality is somewhat similar..."

"Okay, stop." Kousei waved his right hand feebly. Kaori realized her recklessness, put out her tongue, then shut her mouth. Kousei was on the brink of laughter upon seeing this, but he tried to be serious.

"It's good that you're prepared to choose the role and have your own understanding." Kousei laughed, and he knew that this was one of Kaori's strengths: she often makes decisions fast, simply and without delay.

Still uneasy, he asked another question:

"But have you considered clothing and other considerations?"

The smile on Kaori's face was solidified at the speed that can be seen by the naked eye. As I expected, she must have been thoughtless again, he thought. Well, she's a sunny violinist and a superhero sun.

"Well..." Kaori paused for a moment, then suddenly pretended to be relaxed and said awkwardly, hiding her tensions, "actually... I haven't decided how to solve the problem of clothes. But I see a lot of clothing rental shops online, probably I'll just choose one?As for the rest, check it out..." Her eyes drifted back and forth, clearly not looking at Kousei.

"You're on your nerve." Kousei laughed out and satirized.

Soon a white, a hand fell ontp his head, and a blow struck its back.

"Ouch!" Instinctively, Kousei jumped back and shouted with his head in his arms. "Besides, you're so careless!"

"Ha! I'll take care of that." said Kaori indignantly. She turned her head childishly toward the slowly setting golden sun. "I'll get this done. I'm sure I can show my best at this event and shine as the sun!"

"All right then. After all, you are the blazing sun and you have the right to be your best." Kousei waved his hand and smiled at the girl with her back to him. "I'm all for you. I will certainly come and see you."

"Thanks!" Kaori turned back, looked at Kousei and smiled with satisfaction.

Kousei stared at her big eyes, which were full of infinite light and seemed more colorful than the palette, more beautiful than the sunset, more profound than stars of the universe. He knew that no matter what happened, she was an indispensable bright color in his life, but also an unbounded phoenix.

Fly free, Miss Phoenix.

* * *

"Stop it, you nymphomaniac!"

Miyazono Kaori growled angrily at the brown-haired boy staring at her, but the latter showed no sign of flinching and still looked dangerously over her body.

"Kousei, you invited them to come over without informing me?!"

Kaori turned her head and glared at the bespectacled boy, who just gave an embarrassed smile. Clutching the back of his left hand with his right hand, he whispered in the corner: "Who was it that jumped up into the sky all the way, didn't hear a word I said, and reflexively shouted 'yes'..."

The blonde girl knew she was wrong, so she turned her head away and didn't bother him further.

Kousei had a good reason to call his two friends here. Since Kaori announced her intention to attend the event, he has been worried about inappropriate clothing or allergies, Kaori's lack of sleep, and possible, unnecessary quarrels and fightings. It doesn't matter if she likes it, he thought.

However, after seeing Kaori's outfit that morning, the man who had been the least impressed by her turned into her fanboy - and, in his own words, he had a "cardiopulmonary arrest" within a second of seeing Kaori. He also said that the first thing after his recovery of consciousness, was to ruthlessly charge toward the beautiful Kaori, and the consequence was he pushed to the ground by her great strength, his buttocks blossomed instantly – and he was scolded by her.

This is also why he wanted to ask Tsubaki and Watari to come to appreciate Kaori's costume; he didn't want to risk being condemned for "eating alone". It turned out that he was right to do so: Tsubaki was excited and almost fainted on the spot, while Watari was crazy and fell into a daze, clenching his fists and seeing stars in his eyes, just like when Matsuri sees Fubuki. (See Twitter: /natsuiromatsuri/status/1048810611981701121 for more details.)

Kousei, Tsubaki and Watariu were immersed in collective frenzy partly because of acquaintance lens; nevertheless, the main reason still is Kaori's overwhelming beauty. Her golden hair fell back naturally, and came to life against her large blue eyes; her dark blue tights clung tightly to her upper body and arms, proudly displaying the perfect curves of her body, while the red and yellow s-shaped logo on her chest stood out like a dancing lightning. The red skirt resembled a flame, giving her something of a swagger, and the golden v-joints shone brightly; the most striking were the bright red boots that reached to the thigh, topped by a red cloak with a gold marker that symbolized the vitality and strength of youth against the smooth skin.

In short, she was the goddess who had descended from heaven to earth.

"Oh my god... I guess all my cameras are useless!" Kousei admired Kaori's beautiful dress and sighed, "This kind of beauty does not belong to the world, and even camera cannot record it."

Kaori heard Kousei's praise and showed a confident smile with her big blue eyes blinking. She also extended her left arm and clenched her fist into a powerful posture, as if she could lift the whole earth with one hand, saying, "Because I am a goddess!"

"Wow! Amazing!" Watari praised loudly and clapped his hands. "I even felt that the green leaves around me wither. You see, the people who come to visit are fascinated by you!"

Tsubaki heard this sentence, looked around and found it right: out of the concert hall, everyone automatically looked at Kaori and some people also stopped and took a look in the distance, even car drivers on the road also looked to her direction.

"Wow! Look at their faces... You're an extraterrestrial organism."

"Of course! And I'm from Krypton." Kaori smiled and replied mischievously. The other three were fully spellbound.

"Yes, Kaori." Watari remembered something and asked with interest, "How did you get this constume?"

"I borrowed it from a shop online." Kaori said, looking at her body and feeling her blood boiling. "I think I can fly!"

"Well, Kaori is passionate again." Kousei said with a smile. He had not seen Kaori so enjoyed for a long time.

"Well, now that you've enjoyed it, let's take a walk around." Kaori clenched her hands and said to others. She couldn't wait to show her beauty.

"Of course!"

Four boys and girls chatted and smiled, slowly walking to the direction of the gathering crowd.

* * *

As advertised by the organizers, this was truly an unprecedented cosplay event. In the open square and the park out of the concert hall, cosers in fancy dress walked, and many more spectators came to see them. If you look down from above, you can see a dark mass of heads with a sprinkling of two dozen cosers in brightly coloured clothes, like the occasional flowers on a meadow.

The participants were fully prepared for the grand event. From battle-hardened veterans to first-time amateurs, every coser took his or her ideas to the extreme: a 14-year-old girl had a dull hair on her head and an "excalibur" in her hand to add some power to her figure; a group of boys stooped to look back while making faces, and before them was the subtitle "Let's eat out barbecue tonight"; a bronzed middle-aged man in a blue shirt and white pants sat in front of the camera answering questions, occasionally sending out a few "yarimasune," prompting passers-by to flee for fear of getting disgusted.

Four boys and girls looked forward and around with great interest as they wandered outdoor, amd all did not notice the crowd reactions to them, especially to Kaori: each time she went to a place, her natural and unrestrained pace, strong and beautiful body shape, her sunshine-reflecting cloak and confident eyes had attracted all the people, including posing coser having their pictures taken. They all cast an eye on her, and some were craning their neck to have a closer look, as if she were the star of the red carpet or possessed the super ability of attracting everyone.

In a word, she was like a pure mirror, reflecting all the light of the world.

Kaori continued to walk forward with her head held high, her long blond hair bouncing behind her, and Kousei, Tsubaki and Watari followed behind. Kaori's heart beat faster as she noticed people putting great attention on her, and she gained some self-confidence and felt sunshine also some warmer.

Suddenly, Kaori heard a familiar voice behind her: "You are so well dressed today."

She turned her head in disbelief and stopped with a sudden cry of surprise.

In the crowd at the back left stood a boy with beige hair she had seen, smiling and waving hands at her. He wore a clean white shirt and straight black trousers, his gold pupils shimmering, his face smiling innocently and unabashedly, and on his shoulder lay a fat yellow and white cat. At the moment, he was looking at Kaori's red tights, blinking.

Kaori quickly recollected that he was the boy who had saved injured her that night, and who had tried to help her but had been ruthlessly refused. He said his name was Natsume.

Kaori did not expect him to come to the meeting, nor did she predict him to recognize her. She bit her lip and her heart beat faster. Her three friends behind her started, stopped, and looked at Kaori strangely. Although it was subtle, Kaori could see Kousei's strain.

Did he recognize me? She thought nervously.

However, Natsume's next words reassured her:

"I never thought my idol would come here! I almost didn't recognize you!"

Well, he's my fan.

Kaori breathed a sigh of relief to her and restored her smile. She nodded to Natsume slightly, and replied in a gentle voice, "Mr. Natsume, you are also very well dressed today."

The yellow-haired boy was effervescent and immediately put a happy and some silly smile on his face, regardless of the cat on his shoulder with a strange look at him; it was crystal clear that he was smitten with her.

Kaori could hear Kousei's breath.

Natsume licked his lips and then asked: "Can I ask you a question, Miss Miyazono?"

"Sure." Kaori replied cheerfully.

"It may sound arrogant..." Nastume paused for a moment, "do you know Supergirl's story?"

"I know a little..." Kaori put her left hand on her forehead and wipedsweat off.

"That... Would that be a bit..." Natsume paused again. He seemed to contemplate for a while, then said, "...embarrassing?"

By this time the crowd was growing larger, and the air became hotter and hotter; although it was April in spring, now it was as hot as June.

Kaori wobbled and then hurried to stabilize herself, thinking about this problem at a rapid pace with her Sun brain. Suddenly she thought of the answer, and said with a sweet smile:

"No, Mr. Natsume! You know, I'm a violinist."

Natsume nodded.

"When I play the violin, I always strive to play with the best of my heart, because I believe that human feelings are all the same: ecstasy, agony, sadness, anger, they can all be understood. So I feel I have to add my own feelings to the cosplay: after all, I'm not just representing Supergirl, but myself as well." Kaori replied in a voice that no longer shivered.

There was a moment of silence.

Natsume thought for a moment, smiled and replied: "This is an intriguing idea! I never thought about it before. You truly merit to be a performer who dares to display her own style in the concert! I believe it's worth it to be your fan."

Kaori smiled back and left with the other three.

In the crowd, Natsume's eyes were still on the figure of the goddess in his mind.

...

"Hey, I didn't expect to meet your fans here. And he seems to be a passionate one."

Tsubaki put her hands behind her back, and said, "It seems that the incomparable charm of Kaori will stir up Kousei's jeal today. Look, he's blushing!"

"I'm not jealous..." Kousei's face was red as he protested in small voice and looked at Kaori yonder. "After all, Kaori is literally a goddess today. To tell the truth, I will not be surprised even if she can make plants and flowers fall in love with her!"

"That's an exaggeration..."

Kaori heard the whispers of strangers on both sides and the conversation of the three people behind her, but she did not pay much attention to it. She had only one thought in her mind: it was enough to show her brightest and most perfect side to the world, and make her charm known to everyone.

But just as the sun goddess was about to display her charms, the call of nature rang untimely at her door.

"Excuse me, I need to go to restroom. Where is it, please?"

Watari looked at Kaori's distorted expression and almost laughed out, but still resisted that impluse. "The bathroom is through that door in the concert hall."

"Don't worry, there's some paper in there. I have been here once." Kousei added.

"That's good... Thank you!" Kaori replied with a smile and ran at a flying speed toward the concert hall, dodging pedestrians all the way.

The other three stood where they were, a little bewildered. Watari suddenly remembered something and whispered to Kousei: "Well, isn't that beautiful maidens don't s**t?"

Kousei said nothing, but patted his thigh and laughed wildly, and Watari joined him.

"What are you two laughing about?" Tsubaki was startled and asked in shock.

"Ha ha ha... can't tell you, it's obscene... ha ha ha ha!" The twoboys replied with frivolous laughter.

Tsubaki was angry, but having no idea what they were laughing at, she just shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

* * *

So dazzling.

Kaori thought as she squat over the white toilet and looked up at the bright lights on the ceiling.

The toilet stall was small, just enough to put down a toilet bowl with a space about five centimeters wide, and the tissue tube was placed on the toilet's cistern; the tissue was enough only to be used for once aand then thrown into the trash can. The position of the bin almost startled Kaori onto the floor when she just pushed the door open: it hanged on the wall of the compartment like a modernist master's painting.

Although toilet was not smelly, its narrow space was unpleasant and hard to breathe for Kaori; even so, she had been squatting here for fifteen minutes.

In fact, what she had to do had been done ten minutes before, though it was difficult to take off her red dress. Now she was sitting on the toilet, frowning, watching her hands, adjusting her nervous and excited breathing.

You did a good job, she told herself. Now, all you have to do is show your brilliance as usual and they will be hooked by your charm.

That's good.

In fact, Kaori has not been so calm down to think for a long time. It's not just because of her impulsiveness and recklessness, but also the result of one incident after another: a brief but memorable conflict with her Kousei, a boy devastating her confidence, the arrival of a phoenix giving her more power, and the cosplay convention she's been waiting for.

Kahun did not notice that a sinister step outside was slowly approaching like a theif in the night.

"I need to think about it and make a conclusion." She said in a barely audible voice, staring at her hands.

Ah!

A shriek interrupted her thoughts as she tried to calm down. A chill ran through her, and every cell stood still, as if the scream were the cry of an innocent soul in the underworld. All the noise of the outdoors ceased, as if all the air had been taken away in an instant.

Kaori was instantly alarmed but did not recognize the anguished female voice. As she tried to rummage through her mind, another scream came to her ears:

"Help!"

Kaori was instantly stunned, her limbs stiff in place, as if a lightning had split her body.

She recognized the voice.

That was the girl she saved on her first night as Sun: Kato Megumi, the director of the famous game club.

Kaori was scared silly at that time, both hands powerless to hang on both sides, knowing not what to do.

Outside the hall gate came the rapid footsteps of many people.

The glass door made a dull crash, and the footsteps stopped as if time had frozen.

Kaori then realized the situation. She clenched her fists, walked slowly and carefully to the toilet entrance, tilted her head slightly, saw what was happening in the hall, and immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from shouting.

In the middle of the hall stood a dishevelled man in a black veil, and in front of him was Kato, the young girl who had just screamed. The man's strong left hand clutched Kato's mouth so hard that she kept purring, while his right hand held a glistening knife around her neck. Megumi was wearing a red coat, a white skirt and stockings, and a white beret on the top of her head. Her eyes were wide and blinking, her hands tied tightly behind her, prespiring.

Kaori tried to look behind the kidnapper and Megumi, only to see a dark crowd of cosers in costumes and spectators. The crowd gathered at the glass-fronted entrance to the hall, yet there was not any jostle orword to break the deathly silence. The faces in the first few rows varied: some looked around, some watched the kidnapper warily, their hands trembling, some clenched their fists and gnashed their teeth, but none dared to take a step forward as if they were frozen in an instant. Kaori browsed and found her friends standing in the back row: Tsubaki, Watari, Kousei and Natsume.

There was a great deal of tension in the air.

Kaori bit her lip and tilted her head back. She felt that she was about to collapse on the wall.

The kidnapper coughed, and the front rows of the crowd trembled slightly, like leaves in the wind. Kaori was alarmed and retreated to another place unseen by them, sticked tightly on the wall and overheard all things in the hall.

The kidnapper cleared his throat and said in a threatening voice:

"Listen, you! Now this little girl's life is in my hands, and, as long as I wave my hand, she will collaspe in her own blood. So think twice before you do anything!"

The crowd was still silent, and Kaori's lips tightened.

The kidnapper suddenly turned his head to a corner of the crowd and shouted:

"You! What! Throw that away!"

There was a dull thump in the corner. Everyone looked in that direction and saw that it was a mobile phone lying on the tile floor, its black body and screen reflecting an ominous light. There stood a coser, in her twenties, in a maid's costume and a white ponytail wig, her hands hanging on her chest, her expression perfectly calm with her eyes looking to another side as if to say that she had nothing to do with it.

"It looks like a Huawei..." whispered several people in the crowd.

There was a flash of anger in the kidnapper's eyes, and the knife around Megumi's neck tightened. Sweat oozed from the girl's forehead and her hands began to quiver.

Many, including Kaori, gasped.

"Don't play tricks with me!" The kidnapper said in a threatening voice, "I have installed a detector here in advance, so any communication can be detected by it! Be quiet! And don't even think about running out and calling the police. If you don't believe me, the consequence won't be so simple as tightening the knife..." He smiled coldly

Several persons had furious looks on their faces and chattering teeth but they could do nothing about it.

"Well, here are my terms." His voice lightened.

With these words the murmur of the crowd died away, and the whole hall fell into a dead silence.

Kaori's forehead oozed large beads of sweat and her brain went blank.

"Say, where is Sun that calls herself a superhero? I want to meet her."

A blast of thunder exploded in Kaori's brain, and her whole body shivered. She could not believe her ears.

"I wonder how the superhero would solve the problem." His voice became playful. "I've been here for a week, setting up my equipment, carefully picking the time to prepare a little question for my idol Sun."

There was a momentary commotion in the crowd.

"Shut up!" The kidnapper went pissed off again and the people immediately shut their mouths.

"I've always longed to know how strong Sun really is, so today I'm going to try: what can she do to save this guy from me and keep her safe?"

He said with a sneer.

"It's an impossible task. The knife in my hand is extremely sharp - I have been cut by it no less than three times - that it can cut the skin and flesh in an instant, and with it the arteries." He paused suddenly, "Ever heard of a knife that cuts hair when hair is blown onto the blade? This is one."

The crowd began to whisper again.

"Be quiet! How many times must I repeat it!" The kidnapperincreased his strength while yelling. Megumi felt dizzy and her tight right fist loosened.

Silence.

Kaori support her own body, frantically thinking about how to save the girl.

I had to turn around and face him, didn't I? But how can I keep the young girl safe? Her life is hanging by a thread, and if I make one mistake she will be killed!

Get that guy's attention? How? I can't just appear in front of him, can I? Who knows what he'll do!

Call the police? That's impossible! I sense that all the entrances to the back of the concert hall are locked, that the police can only enter through the front door, and then the kidnapper will... No, no!

So... What should I do?

Kaori was elated when she became Sun at first, so she was not very scared and even felt somewhat funny when fighting with the dark. Now she sensed a great fear, for she realized that there was not only her but another person standing on the edge of the cliff.

Kaori suddenly raised her head, bit her teeth and made up her mind. She had already figured out how to save the girl.

"Well, I can only try!"

She tiptoed to the end of the toilet. The afternoon sun shone through the narrow windows, casting a thin streak of light on the ground. And Kaori was now standing in its middle.

She raised her right hand and whispered the words:

"Awaken, Sun!"

"I've heard that Sun is so sensitive that nothing that happens nearby escapes her."

The kidnapper was still delivering his coolly macabre speech to the crowd. The knife in his hand was still clamped tightly around Megumi's neck. Megumi's face was blue and her eyes were closed, as if she would collapse next second. However, the kidnapper had put his other elbow on Megumi's chest so she would not fall to the ground.

"So you don't want to contact Sun - it's strange that anyone here knows her - because she'll come herself." The kidnapper smiled.

Kousei at the back of the crowd was about to faint. He felt nervous, dizzy and nauseous when the kidnapper demanded Sun to come out just now. Natsume held him and asked him what was wrong, and the latter just smiled nervously. Watari and Tsubaki were also in accompany; they worried but dared not to ask more.

Kousei knew who Sun was and that Kaori had gone to the toilet and had not returned. He knew perfectly well now that Kaori was probably in the toilet.

Will Kaori transform into Sun and then show in front of the kidnapper? Will she succeed? Will she...? Kousei woolgathered as he tried to stare at the kidnapper and the girl.

Ah!

A phoenix call, from the kidnapper's back.

There was a strain in his eyes. The knife on Megumi's neck vibrated a few times and then returned to its original position. The kidnapped girl's eyes opened a seam, both hands feebly swung a few times then stopped, her eyes then closed again.

It is strange that a normally turbulent crowd was so quiet. Some people who had wrinkles on their foreheads relaxed slightly, but most of the faces remained the same - the cold ones remained cold, the fearful remained fearful.

Kousei suddenly almost fell backwards, but Natsume caught him in time.

"Are you all right?" His voice was small but gentle.

Kousei just smiled. By this time the string in his brain was tense: Kaori had transformed and was somewhere around here. What happens next? He did not close his eyes and threw his head back.

The kidnapper took a deep breath. Holding Megumi with a knife and an elbow, he turned his head back slowly, but found nothing: just a white wall smooth enough to reflect his image, and a blue sign with the word "toilet," which seemed to mock him for being so frightened by a "toilet."

"Come out!" He roared.

No response.

"Come out!"

Still no response, just molecules in the air vibrating. It seemed that the cry was just an illusion.

He shook his head angrily and slowly turned his head away.

Ah!

What's that!

As he turned, he saw in front of him a girl with fair hair. She wore a golden mask on her face, crystals on her chest and boots on her legs, and a pair of huge golden wings at her , that's the Sun he wanted to meet.

The kidnapper started, his pupils dilating. Before he knew it, all that remained in his vision was a dazzling white light, as intense as a thousand suns shining in his eyes at once. He tried to close his eyes, but it was too late: there was nothing he could do.

In front of him was nothing except white light, his feeling and consciousness seemed to be slowly drifting away. He could only hear a few footsteps, felt his knife shot to the ground, the kidnapped girl moved a few times, then slowly fell forward, and a half-audible cry of surprise rose from the crowd.

Just before he lost consciousness and fell to the ground, a subtle smile rose from his lips.

That was her.

Temporarily blinded by the white beam, people slowly opened their eyes. They saw what was in front of them, and their mouths opened wide, but no sound came out.

The kidnapper in the black veil had fainted to the ground, and the girl whose life had been in jeopardy had fallen into Sun's arms. Her eyes were closed, her face serene, her mouth slightly raised, as if she had not been kidnapped by the gangster, but had just had a long dream. Sun was supporting her with her left hand, while using her right hand to gently touch her forehead and softly saying something. The wings behind Sun sheltered the unfortunate girl like a nest, and Sun's golden pupils were full of concern.

The crowd watched the scene in silence. Their brows were no longer furrowed, their eyes no longer anxious, their hands no longer trembling; they just wanted to enjoy the light that flowed from the two girls in the silence.

Megumi slowly raised her eyelids, only to see Sun's golden pupil. She shook her left hand and asked in a weak voice: "Did you save me, Sun?"

Sun did not answer but smiled. She looked at the girl she had twice rescued from the brink of death, her heart growing warmer.

A clap of applause came from the corner of the crowd. Natsume looked around and found that it was Kousei clapping. He clapped his hand with a smile of relief, and there was a tear lingering at the corner of his eye.

Natsume raised his hand slowly and patted it slowly.

The patchy applause soon rose until it rang through the hall.

* * *

"Where have you been, Kaori? Why didn't I see you?" Watari do asked.

The four of them were now walking outside together. As the cosplay fair drew to a denouement, the sun shone down on the ground, casting long shadows on the tall trees which resembled sundials.

"Ah..." Kaori froze for a moment, then pretended to be easy and said, "I went out just after going to restroom, but I got lost accidentally and strayed to a locked concert hall."

"How could you get lost? Aren't you Krypton's superhero?" Tsubaki mischievously accused.

"Hey!" Kaori pouted, "The famous voice actor Sakurai Takahiro once said..."

"What?"

"He said, 'don't confuse the character with the voice actor!'" Kaori shouted angrily.

"Got it, Supergirl." Kousei ridiculed.

"Hahahaha..."

Without a doubt, this was the happiest time Kaori had had in recent days. She not only showed her grace as Kaori but also successfully saved a life once again; it's much better than being overwhelmed by the darkness.

She knew not that a vicious conspiracy was emerging.

* * *

"Why am I the protected one...Why...Why..."

Megumi sat alone in the back row of the bus. Her eyes drifted back and forth, from the TV in front of her, where the news was playing, to the empty front seats, reflecting the ghastly light, to the dark sky outside the window. She dropped her hands on her lap and whispered.

"Why should I be protected by Sun... Can't I protect and care about others... Can't I protect Tomoya..."

As she whispered, the lights in the car dimmed and the sky abruptly grew darker. It was strange that there was no moon or stars in the sky.

"I'm going to... protect... all the people... just like... like Sun..."

The lights in the car went out. Also gone were street lights, in-car TVs and seats, bus drivers and the scenery outside.

Immersed in the darkness, Megumi was neither nonplused nor frightened. It was more like she was actively embracing the darkness that wanted to engulf her.

"Do you want to protect everyone?"

A deep voice asked.

Hui's glassy eyes dropped. She nodded heavily.

By the time the bus driver looked back, Megumi had disappeared.

All that remained of her seat was her phone and purse, and a black feather that sparkled with silver light.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 9**

It was a superbly ordinary morning in June.

The sun hung in the blue sky, scorching the earth and everything above it, as if the whole world were a roast on its rack. Leaves on trees on both sides of the street drooped head, with few greenness and more yellowness belonging to autumn; the asphalt on the road squirmed restlessly, as if it were going to melt the next second; even primates (homo sapiens) were afraid to walk up and down the street. They took refuge in cubes, closed windows, turned on life-support devices known as air conditioners and took a breath, cursing the extreme weather and lamenting their almost death. Some primates noticed that even flies and mosquitoes couldn't stand the heat; they even dared to risk death by torture devices such as fly swatters and drilled into air-conditioned rooms to enjoy a moment of cool air.

In one corner of the city, a bus drifted slowly down the road as if melted asphalt slew it down. At the back of the car sat a dark-haired boy with glasses and a blonde girl near the windows. They were wearing white t-shirts, black shorts and white sneakers, each with a red backpack on his/her lap.

They said nothing but silently looked at the scenery outside the window.

The news was on the air:

"We've been experiencing extreme heat across the country recently with record-breaking temperatures. According to incomplete statistics, the hot weather has caused 5 heatstroke deaths. The public is warned that the extreme heat is long, widespread and intense. Please take precautions to avoid outdoor travel..."

The boy moved his lips a few times before he spoke.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come out, Kaori."

"Who promised to go swimming with me today?" Kaori replied in a muffled voice, turning her head to the other side; it was more like an accusation than an answer.

Kousei scratched his head and said no more.

"We have arrived at the Gamergate. Please get off."

An electronically synthesis voice rang.

The boy looked down, as if thinking of something, and said, "There will be a lot of people in the pool on such a hot day. You have to be prepared."

"Don't worry, Kousei, there won't be too many people in it!" Kaori suddenly laughed, and surprised Kousei, "As far as I know, most people prefer to stay in air-conditioned rooms and not go anywhere, rather than go to the swimming pool in the hot sun and ask for trouble," said Kaori with a smile.

"So we're literally asking for trouble?" Kousei frowned and asked with a wry smile.

"We're not like them! It's been so hot these days. You must be burning. Go to the swimming pool to have a good soak and even choke on a few saliva – it is a rare chance!" Kaori said excitedly.

"If only I had your energy. By the way, you're not going to put my head under the water, are you?"

"Surely not!" Kaori looked at Kousei's tense face while almost laughing out, but she still put on a serious countenance, "I will not left my love in danger!"

"Then I'll be relieved." Kousei smiled. "By the way, are we there yet?"

"Yes, we're almost there! Be prepared not to lose anything!" Kaori's wide smile turned into a nervous look.

"I have to worry about you losing something."

Two people talked, while walking to the door, waiting for the bus station.

Kaori did not notice a shadow at a corner of the sky in the distance.

* * *

"So, let's meet in front of the first lane in the pool." Carrying his red backpack, Kousei said earnestly to Kaori beside him.

"Yes, I know! Don't put it off too long," Kaori said, pouting as she reluctantly turned around from admiring the pictures on the lobby wall of the gym. "I can't wait for you!"

"It is me who waited for you, didn't I?" Kousei protested.

Kaori was about to argue but she remembered to change into her bathing suit in the locker room as soon as possible. "All right, stop it. Let's go to the locker rooms now!"

"All right."

They waved hands and went into their changing rooms.

...

As he entered the men's locker room, Kousei frowned at the pungent smell of wood on the walls, the smell of disinfectant of swimming pool water soaked in bathing suit and goggles, and the disgusting odor of armpits; as soon as he smelled them, Kousei knew he was in the right place. He could even see the beach under the sun upon he closing his eyes.

He looked around despite the stench and realized that Kaori was right: there were only six or seven people in the huge locker room, four or five grown men in jackets and trousers, packing up and leaving, leaving only two or three teenagers of his age and himself. Seeing the small number, Kousei breathed a sigh of relief and threw his backpack onto the stool.

Wait a minute!

Kousei suddenly regretted: on the landing of the backpack lay a pair of wet black swimming trunks. By the time he knew it, the backpack was safely on top of the trunks.

He turned quickly, lifted his backpack, lifted it over his head, and observed that the bottom of it was already wet, like a boy petting his pants.

"Oh..." He sighed. It was so bad.

"What's the matter?"

A boy's voice sounded behind Kousei.

"Why, you see... I left my backpack on your swimming trunks and it got wet..." Kousei smiled sheepishly as he turned his head and thought he was looking at himself in the mirror: the boy who asked him had black hair like him, and both wore black-rimmed glasses.

Kousei was surprised, but to his surprise, the teenager's reaction was even more surprising: the latter suddenly stopped playing with his hands in his black shorts, his pupils dilated and he looked surprised but said nothing.

"Uh, well..."

"Arima Kousei?!"

The boy in front of him pulled himself back instinctively, and cried out in surprise.

Kousei was scared and leaned back. The backpack in his left hand fell to the ground, making a dull sound. Embarrassment filled the air.

Does he know me? Kousei thought.

He waved his right hand, looked down awkwardly at his backpack and said, "Who are you and why do you know me..."

"It will be a big deal if I don't know the famous pianist Arima Kousei," The dark-haired boy teased, and Kousei almost laughed out loud.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet." He scratched the back of his head and smiled shyly. "My name is Aki Tomoya, one of the leaders of Blessing Software."

It was Kousei's turn to shout in surprise.

"You... Are you Kato's boyfriend?"

Tomoya's eyes blinked uneasily as he heard this, but Kousei failed to notice.

"Oh, yes. She and I are both in charge of the club." Tomoya said quietly.

Kousei clapped his hands happily and said with a smile, "I never thought I could meet such an awesome person! A good guy, a legend in his community, Aki Tomoya who found his love in making games..."

"Hush. It's not good to make such a noise." Tomoya also waved his hand to silence him, and Kousei stopped babbling.

The two men went about their business again. Kousei was taking off his trousers and Tomoya was already wearing his dark blue swimming cap. Kousei suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "By the way, why did you stop developing your new work? I'm looking forward to it!"

Tomoya's hands, holding his goggles, stopped briefly in the air and then recovered. "Oh, I forgot to mention it!" He said as easily as he could as he pushed his goggles through his cap. "Megumi, she..."

"What's the matter?She broke up with you?" Kousei grew more curious and stopped his left hand, which was putting his coat in the locker.

"No!" Tomoya continued without turning his head. "She disappeared a month ago."

His voice was calm, but Kousei was shocked.

"What!" Immediately the boy turned his head and looked incredulous.

"Yes, it was a month ago when she disappeared on her way home after going to a cosplay convention alone. I called her and asked if she wanted me to pick her up. She said no, so I waited at home. Who knows that..." Tomoya's tone was steady, but Kousei could hear the excitement behind it, as in a placid land before an earthquake. His voice was calm.

"Did you call the police? Did the police file a case?" There was some anxiety in Kousei's voice.

Tomoya sighed, waved his hand and said, "We called the police that day, and the police filed the case as early as possible, but they couldn't find Megumi. I've been looking for it in the neighboring cities and counties, but I haven't found her yet."

"Oh... What should we do?" Kousei sheng looked so worried that he didn't notice his coat falling to the ground. After all, she is one of his favorite people besides Kaori.

"No choice but to wait for news." Tomoya's face was full of regret. "I knew I should have picked her up that day!"

"So you come here..." Kousei hesitated.

"It was my friend Eriri who asked me to come. She was anxious to know Megumi was missing, but she thought it would be nice to relax before we heard anything more." Tomoya smiled sadly. "I can't dissuade her, so I have to come."

"It will be all right." said Kousei.

They began to pack up again, put on their swimming gear, and headed for the pool. Both were silent.

"By the way," Kousei said as he walked side by side with Tomoya, "don't worry, we will find Megumi!"

"Yes." Tomoya's expression relaxed a little. He had some confidence, but was still doubtful.

* * *

"Hello... you are the famous violin player Miyazono Kaori, right?"

Tomoya was smirking as he stared blankly at the blonde girl in front of him through his blue goggles, and the latter pursed angrily as if to say, "you're right, shut up." Even the yellow goggles couldn't hide the anger in her eyes. Beside the blonde girl stood Kousei who was awkwardly rubbing his fingers and looking from left to right behind his goggles, not knowing what to do to break the deadlock between Kaori and Tomoya.

The three were floating in the middle of the pool's seven lanes, not far from the end of the exit. The sunlight came in slowly from the gap of the white ceiling above the pool, and it fell lazily on the water in the middle of the pool.

But Tomoya's focus wasn't on sunlight; he was already blinded by the mass of white before him. Wearing a yellow three-point bathing suit, Kaori was extremely beautiful with her smooth body lines and creamy skin, and her charisma was enough to spellbind everyone, especially Tomoya.

"Well..." Kousei coughed fiercely for a few times, and almost shook off the swimming cap which was tight on his head. He pretended to be serious and said, "this is Miss Miyazono, and this is Aki Tomoya, the famous creator of galgames and Kato Megumi's boyfriend."

Hearing "Kato", Kaori moved her lips subtly a few times.

"I was worried..." She whispered to herself.

"Why?" Tomoya heard Kaori's words and asked in strangely, "Do you know the news of Megumi's disappearance?"

"Er..." Kaori lost her nerve and did not know how to answer, and, thanks to the goggles covering her eyes, she glanced aside. Kousei didn't look surprised; he seemed to know it already.

Kaori had heard this in the locker room: thanks to the keen hearing given by Phoenix, she could hear every word of Tomoya's conversation with Kousei.

Damn, how could I be so careless! Kaori regretted.

"Well, I heard about it from Eriri. She's in the locker room, too." She exhaled and watched Tomoya's reaction; the latter semmed buying her story.

"Then where is Eriri?" Tomoya asked. "I've been waiting for her for a long time."

Kaori rolled her eyes and then replied in a relaxed tone: "I don't know that. I talked to her for a while, then I got dressed and went out." She now was telling the truth.

"Well, we'd better not wait for her." Tomoya smiled, "We had better begin to enjoy the cool and unique flavor of the pool water!"

"Yes, yes." Kousei and Kaori agreed.

Ah!

There was a terrible scream that went through every nerve in the swimming pool. As if time had stopped, everything seemed to freeze: the sound of laughter in the pool was stuck in the deep throat, the hands playing with the water froze, the buoys floating on the surface of the water also stopped, even the undulating water seemed to stop moving.

Before anyone could figure out what had happened, they saw a scene that terrified them and led them screaming, and the screeches of panic soon filled the swimming pool.

It was a black shadow floating on the water.

Its black was pure and bottomless, its shape eerie and terrifying, wriggling like a tentacle, like a black hole devouring matters. Its shape expanded steadily, spreading half the pool in 20 seconds.

The frightened people ran in all directions. The lifeguard dropped the pole in horror, jumped from the platform, and fled. Swimmers around the pool frantically jostled for ladders at four corners, while others frantically tried to walk in the water.

Swimmers farther away from the shadow escaped from the pool, while those closer to it were less fortunate: once touched by the expanding shadow, their bodies turned into an empty shell, which then turned into a black powder. What's more, the shadow reached out several tentacles, which tied up people attempting to escape, and then "eat" them off.

Kaori, Kousei and Tomoya were also startled in place; they completely forgot to escape the pool. Strangely, the shadows did not spread to them, but stopped a little way off, like a criminal gang surrounding an innocent teenage girl.

Suddenly, a few black thick tentacles jumped up from the black water and charged toward the direction of the three.

"Look out!" Tomoya hurried to cover Kaori's head with his right arm and ducked to avoid the tentacles.

But they ignored both of them and ran straight to Kaori's right. Tomoya forgot Kousei's presence in a panic and didn't react until the latter was pulled out of the water, and it was too late.

Big and dark tentacles tightly tied Kousei before he had time to shout, then he lost his consciousness, collapsed in the tentacles at its mercy. Ebony tentacles reeled back to the other side of the pool and wiggled impatiently for a while, throwing his swimming cap and goggles into the black water, which then vanished.

Seeing her love kidnapped by the darkness, Kaori's face became agitated and her brows tightened. By this time her mouth was wide with surprise, and she was looking angrily at the odious tentacles.

The only way to save him is to transform, she thought. So first I had to find an excuse to get away from Tomoya.

However, when Kaori was about to speak to Tomoya, a huge wave was raised on the black water, from which a whole body covered by darkness ascended, as if it were just born out of the black water.

It – or her - was entirely black: a black cloak and black recede in it, a black mask on her face, black coat, gloves, skirt, and boots, and even her lips were in frightfully darkness, like an assassin in shadows. Arcane patterns crawled on every corner of her body, like wanton growth of ivy on buildings' walls.

Wait... why does her look familiar?

Kaori took a breath and almost fell back.

The next second, however, she was even more surprised: there was a whoosh and a pair of huge, cool black wings spread out from behind the shadow. Each feather was extremely sharp, like an arrow or a dagger; even the dried blood could be clearly seen.

Tomoya's hands trembled against the wall of the pool, and there was a pained look on his face, as if he knew something but dared not say it.

Kaori just stared at it, her eyes empty. The darkness which the girl had manipulated came upon Kaori so overwhelming that it seemed to cover her eyes.

The shadow figure was appreciating the two in the pool that had no idea what to do. She took a pitiful look into the collapsed Kousei and showed a cruel smile.

Her lips moved slowly, and she muttered a few words that led Kaori's face instantly pale:

"I'm Kato Megumi."

Kaori's lips stopped momentarily.

The two's eyes fixed lifelessly on the devilish girl before them, their faces rigid, as if they wanted to say something but could not. Tomoya was particularly anguished: there was an infinite desperation in his eyes.

The girl kept that cruel smile, silently staring at the two people, her deep bottomless black pupils full of chill. The sky outside the glass window turned dark, and the wind was beating against it like a demon's whisper.

"No, I'm not Kato anymore. I am the Goddess of Raven - the angel of darkness and death."

Tomoya's right hand mechanically stretched out in the direction of the girl, and then mechanically stopped in the air like a crane arm without fuel and an old branch of the autumn tree.

There seemed to be a few tears in his eyes, and on his face was no emotion at all. His lips twitched and he mumbled out these words:

"My... Megumi..."

His mind went blank. The only thing he could remember was the afternoon that had been his nightmare: she was wearing a white coat, her long black hair hanging back, she said "I still can't forgive you" emotionless, and then turned away without even looking back.

By then, she had reconciled with him and returned to the team. But now...

Tomoya was completely numb, and so was Kaori.

Raven seemed to notice them. She moved his black manda-like lips and looked down at Tomoya and Kaori with her dark eyes. She said slowly, "Do you remember the day I disappeared?"

A sudden thunder exploded in Tomoya's brain. His right arm, which had been suspended in the air, dropped slowly, and then fell into the water; it made no sound when it touched the water.

There were no tears in his eyes.

"You know, I've been on the protected side since I was born." Raven went on with a sneer.

"My parents loved me when I was young - to the point of controlling watched me eat all the food, made strict requirements for me, even the sleep postures. I rarely fought them - perhaps because I dared not."

"For a variety of reasons, I was bullied by my classmates until some tall figure - either a teacher or a male senior - stood between me and them and protected me. They like to be angry with me because..." Raven's voice grew louder and a little agitated, "because I was so ordinary and unobtrusive! Like a wild flower by the side of the road that can be trampled at will!"

At this point Raven's face was suddenly contorted as if in great pain.

"I thought everything would get better in high school, but it's just the same." said the raven, looking straight into Tomoya's pale face as if reciting a speech. "I thought I can protect others, but ultimately I am more protected by others; I thought you can control everything, but I can't control my own destiny.

"I thought it was my destiny - my character, so gentle, so weak, that I was never qualified to protect others.

"Until that day."

Raven gave a sly smile.

"Until that day, I didn't know that I was not weak or helpless, but strong; until that day, I didn't know that I had always had the power to protect other people, but I hadn't realized it yet; until that day, I didn't know that I could be a hero."

Raven gave the motionless Kaori a contemptuous look and smiled.

"Isn't it, Miss Phoenix?"

There was an awkward silence.

Kaori suddenly let out a cry of surprise and fell back feebly, leaning on the wall of the swimming pool. The light words weighed on her heart like a stone chocking her.

She... how did she know?

Slowly Tomota turned his head and stared at the blonde girl beside him, his lips moving slightly but unable to speak. The city's most famous high school violinist, his idol's girlfriend, the girl full of vitality, Miyazono Kaori, is actually...

...the Superhero Sun?

For a moment he thought he had misheard.

Raven's cold, playful voice rose again:

"I know, Miss Phoenix. You are Sun, Phoenix, the incarnation of light and hope, you are what people praise, admire and worship. And I? I'm just one of the many people in the world watching you in the spotlight, like a small flower on the side of the road."

Silence.

"But there is something more powerful in the world than your so-called light, which is the origin of everything, the first being - and that is darkness." Raven raised her leade slightly, witnessing the frightened look on Kaori's face.

"You chose light, and I embraced darkness; you are merely dictating from the stage, and I will soothe them with dark powers - gentle, calm, serene, as a mother soothes her child's pain and suffering."

"Why... do... you..." Kaori asked angrily and unconfidently, glaring at Raven with clenched fists.

"Ah, you're asking why I killed them." Raven had predicted what Kaori was going to say. "It's not killing at all, it's just another way of being. They are now a part of me, living in my vast mental space. No trouble, no pain, just endless happiness... This is not murder, but ultimate redemption!" At this point Raven stretched her arms out excitedly, as if to invite Kaori.

Kaori now glowered at the dark incarnation and the unconscious Kousei in the tentacles with gnashing teeth, but Tomoya's face was not angry but in formidable pain and loss, repeating words like a lost soul:

"Megumi... No..."

"That's not redemption at all! You're cheating them with cheap lies instead of making any positive changes!" Kaori protested indignantly, her eyes ablaze with fire.

"You're pointing your finger at me?" Raven laughed, "Human nature is evil and dark; it's impossible to save them. And you, the liar, come to judge me first."

"Now, dear Phoenix, I will shatter your cheap and fragile lies about light and humanity. I will send you down into the abyss - to be conquered and enslaved by the darkness." Raven sneered.

Kaori's pupils instantly dilated, as if they were dead. She knew exactly what was coming, but she could not prepare herself.

Tomoya's entreaties grew louder and louder, till at last they gave way to sobs:

"Please, Megumi..."

"Now, let the poor child enjoy eternal happiness and peace."

Raven said softly and clenched her right hand into a fist. The dark tentacles binding Kousei grew more powerful, like pythons trying to strangle their prey. In a split second, Kousei's body turned into a handful of black particles that exploded in all directions.

At that moment, time stopped.

Kaori almost fainted at once. The quarrel when meeting with him for the first time, the smile when he agreed to her request on the rooftop, the time spent when rehearsing for the contest together, the sincere confession and embrace in the snow, and his support and encouragement after she becoming a superhero...

All this vanished in a flash, like a black powder blown up in the air.

Kaori's eyes burst into big tears, She twisted her body in pain and shouted:

"No!"

She raised her right hand and cried out, almost out of her mind:

"Awaken, Sun!"

The faint splendor faded quickly before the terrible darkness. Sun, trembling wildly, flapped her wings and took flight, slowly raising her right hand pointing toward Raven, who was still rejoicing in her greatness.

"What do you want!" Tomoya also sensed something was wrong and called out to Sun.B ut it was too late.

Sun closed her eyes and bit her lips. Then she released all her boundless anger and hatred into a wild cry:

"Ahhhh!"

With a piercing cry, Sun's right hand emits a beam of intense light. Raven was only then aware of the sun's attack, and before she had time to cover herself with her dark wings, a thousand suns of light fell upon her, causing her to feel, to her amazement, pain.

Raven knew exactly why. A normal Sun's beam is many times weaker than this; this bright and destructive beam can only be done in a state of extreme insanity.

Strangely, though the beam burned Raven's body like a flame, she did not utter a single cry. She only laughed coldly as she listened to Sun's wild, resentful cries, as if laughing at a world as mad as the one that had burned her.

Sun was still roaring angrily. Even though her right hand was shaking and her face was contorted with great force, she kept increasing the intensity of her destructive beam as if she were burning herself out. She had lost her mind, and had only one thought in her mind: to destroy the monster who had taken away her love!

Tomoya was awake and aware of Sun's purpose. He watched helplessly as the young girl in Sun suit shooting at his lover. He could only plead and shout; in this chaotic moment, he just hoped that his lover did not have to face oblivion.

"No, Kaori!"

But it was too late. Sun completely lost control of her mind, and now in her brain, all disappeared at a blink except that dazzling light: the dark sky outside the window, the dancing black water, the shadow and her black wings, and Tomoya desperately pleading with cry.

The brightest light, like the darkest darkness, blinds.

She did not even know why she was doing it in such a chaotic moment: she did not know whether she wanted justice, as she had done before, or revenge for the heinous murderer who had inflicted her irreparable wounds, or both.

Sun felt that she could not stop. She discovered, to her horror, that her real motive was not the former or the latter - they were just excuses - but the free release of the darkness that lurked deep within her, the guilt that she carried.

And this is Raven's ultimate goal: to destroy what Sun holds dear, to lure out the darkness within her, to make her one with herself.

Sun tried to stop, but it was too late.

"My plan... finally..."

With a murmur of barely concealed excitement, Raven burst like a balloon in the air, a pool of black blood in the glow of a mushroom cloud. It then splashed on the pool and windows, and on the golden wings behind Sun.

It was a disaster she spread throughout the world.

Tomoya was close to fainting and had to hold the wall of the pool for support. He now looked at Sun in midair with a strange look - a look so undecipherable that even the most experienced man could not understand it.

Sun was shocked by the way she had degraded. She did not move, said nothing, but looked at the ceiling with blank eyes.

There was a fearful silence throughout the pool.

There was a sudden sound of footsteps at the entrance to the pool, followed by more footsteps. A blonde girl in a bathing suit with two ponytails rushed in and went to the edge of the pool without looking at Sun, then used her strength to drag Tomoya, who was extremely weak, out of the pool as well. She was Eriri, one of Tomoya's friends.

All the other swimmers rushed in and were amazed by the splash of black blood in the pool, the frail teenager in the swimming cap, and the blonde girl in the fancy dress in midair.

"Why, Tomoya... Are you all right?" Eriri asked, frowning as she soothed his head.

Tomoya suddenly held out his left hand as if it had been electrified. Then he pointed his wildly trembling forefinger at the maiden in the air, sobbing intermittently. "She killed Megumi... my love..."

"What?!" Eriri exclaimed, kept shaking Tomoya's body, "Tomoya! Is this true? Did Sun really kill her?"

"That's it!" Tomoya's voice was full of anger and hatred, and he shook his body and shouted, "She's a bloody murderer! She slain my Kato Megumi with the beam of murder! She..."

The crowd began to whisper, but it soon turned into a huge storm. They looked excited as if they were about to explode next second.

Sun moved her lips slightly, trying to explain, but found that she had nothing to explain. To explain why I killed her? Am I to cover up my hideous crime? No...

Her brain seemed to have stopped functioning.

In this mass of weeping and accusation, in this mass of confusion to the point of insufferable confusion, in this mass of black, trap-like mist, Sun disappeared silently.

* * *

Kaori stood alone in the park where she first met Kousei.

There were no pedestrians or animals in the park, only the leaves on the branches frozen in the air, as if time were resting there.

What an irony! The place where witnessed the beginning of their love actually witnessed the lowest point in her live.

Her mind was in a whirl. The events from birth to the present day were all mixed up: the first time she saw him seemed like a week ago, the night she became the superhero Sun seemed like yesterday, and the cosplay convention seemed like an hour ago.

Time and space stopped there, and so did her mind.

A crisp hint sound broke the silence. That was the message sound on her phone.

Perhaps hoping it was her lifeline, perhaps hoping it was encouragement from family or friends, Kaori slowly pulled the phone out of her pocket and lit up the screen.

"Quasimodo -"

He again!

"- unknown truth of the Nanjing Incident"

What!

She started the news with a trembling hand.

Indeed, another article by the same guy, pungent and sharp, each time eliciting protests and even detractions from readership - which, according to him, is how he maintains the quality of his fan abse.

This time, though, he seemed to have offended all his fans: all the comments were cursing, attacking and threating death – and it was under his own account.

Kaori read the news without a word.

"Many people are well aware of the mistakes of other countries, but few know - or would like to know - the crimes of our country: whether politicians, businessmen, entertainers, scientists or the general public, they either play dumb or deny them. It is the 'elephant in the room'.

"But history doesn't lie. It shall judge hypocrites.

"More than eighty years ago, in a country to the west of our country, a group of soldiers invaded a city called Nanjing. They said they were fighting the local army - in fact they were killing people, raping women, and pillaging property. Are these atrocities?

"I think you're already nodding your heads. Some people might even start cursing the criminals.

"But I want to tell you, that group of soldiers belonged to our country. They have committed appalling crimes under the banner of our country."

Kaori sat down on the ground. She had only heard of it, and had got it from the vague details on history books; she never thought her forefathers would be so cruel.

Is he lying?

"Somebody may say it, you're talking nonsense, aren't you? And then they come up with what they call evidence, or suspicion that it never happened or that it was exaggerated. No, no! Historical evidences is undeniable."

Kaori began to bite her lip.

"Now let me tell you the truth about history. Let us tear open the wounds we do not wish to speak of; that way, there will be no more scruples on the way forward."

Kaoru scrolled her right fingers across the screen, looking at his evidence word by word. The atrocities were real: extensive research by international scholars, testimony from those who took part in them, detailed accounts of survivors, and even genuine confessions from their collaborators at the time. What is striking is the research of a woman surnamed Chang, who even ended up exhausted by the work and commited suicide soon after.

Kaori's mind went blank. Are my ancestors so filthy? Is my own country so sinful? Was I born with crime? No...

She had no courage to read any more.

The phone slipped freely from her hand and landed on the hard ground with a dull sound.

It just said:

"Humanity Lives in Darkness"

With it fell a few tears.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 10**

The sky was overcast with dark clouds.

A few drops of water fell from the clouds from time to time, landed on the dry cement road, issued a dull sound like a heavy drumstick beating a drum covered with thick skin as if a great war was incoming. The splashes of raindrops, one on top of the other, were more like overlapping cracks in glass from a steel bullet than resplendent spring flowers. There were occasional flashes of lightning in the sky, eerily white from the clouds, accompanied by a few thunderstorms that resembled cars with alarms and lights on for no apparent reason. The most spectacular natural landscapes and the most sophisticated human creations actually coincided; for scholars, this was a wonderful demonstration of the horseshoe theory.

The streets were sparsely populated. Occasionally a car whizzed by in the moderate rain, and even less pedestrians: you can walk on the street for half an hour and come across no more than ten people. After all, no one wants to go out and suffer when it's going to rain.

Still, pedestrians ould be seen on the street: just down the street from the park, a beige-haired teenager with an umbrella rushed by. He was wearing a grey coat and black trousers and was holding up a light blue umbrella.

The light blue umbrella in the leaden skydome was the sky behind dark cloud, which rendered his beige hair more vivid and seemed relaxing for people in this depressed day. But the streets were almost empty; even if someone passes by, they won't stop to admire a light blue umbrella and forget their ultimate mission of escaping home as soon as possible.

Slowly he walked on alone, with nothing on either side but the raindrops that fell; he was accompanied only by the muffled sound of raindrops, the trembling of the leaves in the wind, and the equally muffled sound of footsteps.

The trail of raindrops on the concrete ground thickened, and the drumbeat of the rain quickened, as if the war had advanced a further step.

The boy sighed painfully, and holding the umbrella in his right hand, gradually quickened his pace. He could feel the umbrella being blown back by the increasingly powerful wind, and his strength was hardly able to resist it, as if he would be blown to the sky with his umbrella as soon as he released.

Raindrops fell more frequently, the cement roads were getting slippery and the wind was howling, preventing him from walking ahead. The boy sighed again, looked inside the park, found a "small hill" that could be used as a shelter, then turned around and ran quickly to it.

He ran to the foot of the hill and sat down slowly on the damp ground - there was not much time left - folded up his umbrella and moved in.

* * *

The shelter was spacious but not high enough; a teen or an adult could sit on the ground but would hit their heads when they stood up - perhaps because it was designed for children. It was dark and quiet inside, and the sound of the rain outside was indistinct, as if it were completely isolated from the outside world, like the caves that prehistoric tribes used to live in. Maybe there'll be a mural on it, he thought.

Now take a good rest here for a while, and then go home when the rain softened. He thought so; his hands were at his sides, and he was ready for a nap.

What's that?

The boy's right hand, hanging down one side of his body, suddenly seemed to touch something like a soft feather.

He was scared, and his sleepness was immediately gone. He looked to his right, and seemed to see a vague, faint figure, but not sure whether it was a real person or his own illusion.

But what followed immediately confirmed his guess. A flash of lightning was outside, and a flash of white light lit up the whole shelter. By it the boy saw clearly that there was indeed a person sitting in front of him: it was a girl wearing a golden helmet, golden gloves, a short skirt, and boots, with golden pupils and lips, and golden wings behind her. Her face was beautiful even under her helmet.

Wait... is she Sun?

Natsume was scared to fall back, but the back of the wall caught him. The invincible super hero, the beautiful and powerful Sun, the incarnation of the bright Phoenix ... why is she here? Questions suddenly flooded his head.

Just as he was about to take another look at confirmation, the white light outside had vanished, and the shelter had returned to its old state of blackness, save for her faint glow.

The silence was like chaos before the world is opened.

He moved his lips, and at last tried to speak.

"You... why did you...?"

"Go away, Natsume, leave me alone. It's none of your business."

A cold voice replied unexpectedly. A voice he had never heard before. A voice very different from that of the sunny Phoenix. A voice of one who seemed already dead.

As if answering to her, the faint sound of rain outside grew louder. Natsume could feel the cold wind howling on his face.

But he wanted not to stop asking questions - after all, he once worked so hard to bring her home, and he longed for helping her as much as he could.

"What happened to you?" His voice trembled.

"Have you watched the news?" Her voice was as cold as if it came from the Arctic Ocean. "It was a piece of news about a swimming pool two weeks ago."

Natsume first started then silently nodded in the darkness. He was aware of that piece of news: the superhero Sun suspected of killing Kato Megumi, the city's well-known celebrity in gaming community, the public condemning her, the police now in full pursuit... he was so shocked at that moment that he couldn't believe what it said, and he was so worried about Sun yet he forgot about it two weeks later.

He trembled a little - perhaps due to the cold weather, perhaps because of Sun's cold tone - and decided to go on.

Now that she has mentioned it, I may ask as well, he thought.

"Are you the fiddler Kaori?" He asked tentatively.

"You have known that." Sun threw a frosty reply to him as if it were the axiom that two and two make four.

This simple reply scared Natsume to ruthlessly put his body forward and almost roll forward.

"What?!" He was incredulous. Violinist Miyazono Kaori is the superhero Sun?! He, Natsume, even had the honor to save his idol?! That's incredible.

He forced himself to calm down, thought it over, and soon realized that there was nothing wrong about it. Both had blond hair, both liked to use light as a metaphor, both were confident and optimistic, and Kaori had been late of contests for some reason recently. That makes sense. He even regretted why he had not thought of it.

"I should have known that." He said, pretending to be calm.

Another bolt of lightning struck, and the white light shone all over Sun - or Kaori. She look beautiful but also vulnerable and helpless, as if she were going to fall the next second.

Then came the hardest question, Natsume thought. He didn't even know if he wanted to ask the question, but the words were already said.

"They say you killed Kato - is that true?" His whole body trembled as he said the last few words.

No reply.

"Is that true?"

"I'm nodding."

Natsume suddenly felt dizzy as if everything were spinning. These words of Sun, though only a few words, pierced Natsume's heart more than any blade.

How is that possible? How is that possible?! He kept asking himself, clutching his heart.

How could the radiant Sun, Phoenix, the guardian of the city, the confident performer Kaori, commit such a terrible and appalling crime?! She's a... murderer?

So hard to imagine.

Natsume's eyes closed faint sound of rain outside grew louder.

"Do you know why I did this?"

It was the same cold, dark voice.

"Kato appeared in front of us and she was in black. She called herself Raven, the goddess of death and darkness, and gained control of Kousei."

Natsume's heart trembled. Kousei? What befell him? Why haven't I heard from him lately? Did she ...

"She... she killed many in the pool who couldn't escape, and she ground..." Sun stopped for a few seconds then went on with difficulty, "...she ground Kousei into dust..."

Her voice was calm, but Natsume could feel the anger and pain in it.

Perhaps in response to her story, there was a sudden thunder outside.

"Impossible!" He felt faint, as though the whole world had been torn apart before him.

Kousei... dead? Is Kaori's love gone? It's impossible.

"He is dead. He left me forever. Left me forever!" Sun's voice trembled, stirred and grew louder.

"I lost my mind and was engulfed in darkness and hatred: I unleashed the most powerful beam of light on Megumi. By the time I came to my senses, it was too late: she had been turned into a pool of blood by my light. Perhaps," said Sun painfully, "she only longed for stirring up the darkness within me, so she angered me so much."

Natsume said nothing, thinking of his past, and the past of those spirits: he lost his parents and carefree childhood, and those spirits lost their beloved people and things. He had indeed grown up fortunately without hatred, but they spirits were in pain, their hearts grew ugly, and eventually became what he had seen.

And Kaori is the same: alone bearing the mission of spreading light, she gave all happiness and safety, but she could not protect people beside her... This is a tragedy of great irony.

In a moment he even thought Kaori's behavior was not so bad.

The two said nothing but listened to the rain, which grew louder and louder.

Natsume suddenly remembered something and asked solicitously: "How long have you been here?"

"Two weeks or so."

Natsume could not believe his ears

"Are you sure?! You've been here so long?!"

"Yes." Cold voices rained upon his heart, and made him feel a chill from the inside out.

"Your parents and friends must have been looking for you for a long time. They even called me several times to ask me where the hell you are!" Natsume were somewhat angry. "Aren't you worried now?"

"It's all over. What am I worried about?" said Sun dryly.

"..."

"I was supposed to be Sun of light, the guardian of this city, to do justice, to help people in need..." Sun's faint voice was barely audible. "Now my hands are covered with the blood of others, and my heart is filled with the seemingly endless darkness. I have fallen - I cannot be saved - I am sunk in the abyss of destruction!" Sun looked up into the darkness and cried out in pain.

"..."

Natsume moved his lips and was about to say something when the sun interrupted him again.

"And there is no hope, not only for me, but for this world of pain and evil. Every person, every city and village, even every country and nation, has been stained with terrible blood, and their souls have been lost forever in ignorance and sin. Even my country, my people - I never thought about this before - have committed terrible acts. Every of us has fallen into this eternal curse, forever lost hope of escape from the darkness.

"We pretend to be righteous when in reality we are vice. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

A few tears fell from Sun's golden eyes and dropped silently to the ground. She looked up, the light in her eyes gone, and stared at the darkness before her.

"Don't you think so, Natsume?"

"I... I don't know..." Natsume said; perhaps he was suffocated by this oppressive darkness and Sun's despair.

"Don't you think the world is coming to an end?"

"Well..."

"Don't you think I'm going to meet the goddess of death?"

"What?" Natsume asked in a low voice.

Another bolt of lightning struck the face of Sun in the darkness. Natsume was surprised to find that she had been extremely weak: Sun's yellow wings were full of unknown injuries, her body's color had faded, her hair lost its previous vitality, and the heart-shaped crystals on hands and legs had become dark and fragile. There was a moment that Natsume actually felt that he was sitting in front of a corpse.

The rain was still falling, but the sky seemed darker. The shelter was now as dark as a pitch - there was no light at all.

"I once didn't think my superhero career - which wasn't a career at all - would last less than six months. Five months ago I had the power of the sun, and I thought I was going to live forever." Sun smiled sadly, though Natsume could not see, "Now think, I was too naive, too naive to see the truth of the world. I can't fight against fate and win."

"And then there was the dark Sun, and I was in despair, and I thought I had found hope. Indeed, I became Phoenix and wore new clothes." Sun paused. "But what good is that? Nothing. I am the same person with the sin on my shoulder, and the world is the same one waiting to be demolished."

"Now, you see it. I, too, like Raven, shall embrace the endless darkness and be free from this endless suffering - free, perhaps, coming from destruction."

Silence.

"It's ironic that today is my birthday - July 4th. It looks like I'm going to meet death on my birthday. I'm lucky." There was a palpable irony in Sun's tone, and she felt no pity for herself.

Dead silence, only the sound of rain.

Suddenly, someone seemed to stand up in the darkness, and a crack followed.

Another bolt of lightning struck and white light came in. The white light showed the scene inside the cave: Natsume stood beside Sun, his left hand clasped the wrist of his right hand, his whole body shaking, face showing his rarely seen anger, head against the top of the hole, like Atlas holding the skydome, or the legendary dragon-killing champion St. George. Sun sat dejectedly on the ground, her left hand trembling and protecting her left face, looking at Natsume.

"What are you doing?" asked Sun coldly.

"I'm going to make you sober up." Natsume said angrily and clenched his right hand into a fist. "I want you to know what hope is. I'm going to make you naive again."

Sun froze in her movement.

Once again the white light shone through the hole. This time it did not immediately dim down, but with the continuous lightning it had been here, shining on Natsume.

"Yes, yes, naivete, if you want to define it that way." Natsume said angrily, staring indignantly at Sun who almost fell unto the ground. "It is the so-called 'naivete' that makes you go on the stage, and it is what lets you become the superhero in the spotlight and Sun that protects everyone, and it is what makes you go all the way to today despite various hardships. And you want to give them up; you want to reject it."

Sun's lips moved slightly, but she did not know what to say. Her feelings were now more being shocked than hatred.

"If you don't believe yourself," Natsume said, throwing his right fist at the wall beside him, "let me teach you a lesson. I want to use my anecdote to break your poor inferiority complex."

Natsume now was different: he had been gentle, humble, soft-spoken and likable, and now he was angry, fearful and outspoken. Sun felt that he was like the dead-fish-eyed critic; in fact, this is exactly what Natsume sometimes shows - the unsparing criticism of his friends.

With a deafening clap of thunder, the strong boy told his story.

"I lost my birth parents when I was a child and spent time with many relatives. Everywhere I went, I didn't get enough attention: they were either too busy with work, too busy looking after their children, or not very responsible. When I was young, I was just like a stray seed, drifting away with the wind. I did not know what I would encounter next second, and I dared not to imagine my future."

Sun was a little shocked. How could such a gentle boy have such a miserable past? She thought.

"So I made up my mind from that moment that no one else would suffer what I had suffered."

Sun covered her mouth in surprise.

"See? That's my naivete." Natsume said slowly.

Silence.

"Later, I met wonderful people like the Fujiwaras, classmates who lived with me and touched my heart everyday, teachers who cared about me and understood me, and many other good friends who would stay with me for the rest of my life. They are an indispensable part of my life. With the help of these people - with these powers - I can try to break away from sin and embrace the gentlest, kindest part of human nature."

The lightning continued to strike, the thunder continued to rumble - but to Sun, no matter how bright the lightning was, they were overshadowed by the boy in front of her, and no matter how loud the thunder was, it could not be louder than his words.

Now the lightning stopped and the cave was dark again.

"One more thing I haven't told you." Natsume's tone relaxed a little at this time, "I have a little secret."

"Go ahead."

"I can see spirits."

What?!

Sun could not believe her ears.

He said he could see spirits? Is it true? Is he lying to me?

"I'm telling the truth." Natsume's face instantly returned serious, "Believe it or not, they are living with human beings in this world, but most can not see them."

She did not know whether it was true or not, but from the seriousness of his tone and the quality of his character, it was supposed to be true. Well, I'll buy his story, she thought.

"I've been seeing them all the time, and as a result, I've been isolated by my relatives and treated as an outlier. I always thought I was lonely and would have no friends for my lifetime.

"Until I befriended Madara, the cat sensei - the fat cat on my shoulder."

"Is that a spirit too? Sun asked in surprise, pretending to be calm.

"Yes - well, you didn't see that."

"Well..."

"He wanted my grandmother's book with the spirits' names on it, so I made a deal with him that he would be my guardian, and I would return the spirits' names to their owners. When I die, the book will be its." Natsume said calmly.

Sun nodded and said nothing more. She had wanted to ask why Natsume decided to give the name back to spirits, but she did not ask; she knew Natsume was a gentle, innocent and harmless soul, so even if she asked him, he would say he could not tell her, or it was just his nature.

"In my journey to return names, I have met many spirits. Some of them are beautiful, some are ugly, some are serious, some are naughty, but behind them there is always a story about missing someone, missing something, year after year, until it can never come back. Such as..."

Natsume, with his plain tone, was like a storyteller telling a story, and Sun was also moved by this atmosphere, gradually immersed in the long missed story about a banshee.

"And that's just one of many stories."

"The strange thing is, the more I learn about them, the more I learn about human nature. They have all our faults and all our shining points, just like us. They can commit the darkest sins, but they can also shine the best - just like us.

"I think that's part of the of human nature. We are not angels, but we are not demons, either. We are not the best existence, but also not the most terrible freak; we are just humans. If we want to move in a better direction, then we have to work together - we have to work together for the future."

"We may not be the best, but we can be better. Perfection is not the goal, but progress is. Isn't it?"

At this time, Natsume's serious face showed a smile.

But Sun did not was still dubious: if we were going to fail in the end, why try? If we can't be the embodiment of justice, why should we care about others? If we are bound by sin, why can we do all this? Why? Why? Why?...

Natsume slowly squatted down and then stood up, handing an umbrella soaked in rain, "Sorry, I still need to hurry. I hope I have given you some inspiration today, and I apologize for my reckless behavior."

"I hope you can keep the same innocence and naivete. I hope that even in the dark, you still do not give up the glimmer of hope and light. It's worth defending, even... even it means costing our lives."

"Good-bye."

Natsume slowly opened the umbrella, waved and left. Sun sat where she was, thinking of Natsume's words just now.

The rain was still falling outside, like a flood of doom.

Ah!

Suddenly there was a piercing scream from outside. That was Natsume's scream.

Sun's heart sank, immediately stood up, and ran out with craziness.

* * *

"No!"

Sun cried out in pain and anger, and the tears mingled with the rain on her face. Thunder roared from time to time, and lightning flashed across the sky.

She was down on one knee on the slippery concrete, holding Natsume's body in her arms. The latter's whole body were covered by blood and scars, as if by a thousand swords through, reminiscent of the crucified Jesus; as soon as the rain hit, blood-red flowers on the body bloomed. The twisted expression on his face was too painful to watch.

Sun, facing the shadow in front of her who had killed Natsume, let the tears flow on her face and growled angrily at the top of her voice:

"Why are you doing this?! Why?!"

"To beat you, of course, aha!" The shadow laughed slyly.

Sun nearly fainted, but it held on.

"I will crush you when you are most vulnerable, but this guy has ruined my strategy!" said the shadow angrily, "But I think it's good to watch the person you love die in front of you, and you get one free after buying one... How generous of me..."

"You scumbag!" Sun had forfeited control of herself.

"My gift is more than that." The shadow laughed and disappeared.

Sun looked around in horror, looked for the shadow, and saw something that frightened her: the black clouds in the sky were suddenly blacker like black holes, with a trembling sound; between the winds there was a terrible whiff of evil, which uprooted a tree near Sun and threw it crashing down on a building that collapsed into a heap of ruins.

Instantly Sun fell to her knees and cried out in pain.

The rain turned black, the water blackened it, sent it into the streets, and washed away everything they came across. Black raindrops on the buildings corroded them which eventually collapsed into a pile of rubble, while survivors who ran out of the building were blown to the sky or killed by rain drops.

Everything promised a terrible catastrophe, as if it were the real end of the world.

"This is the final judgment."

Sun stood in the midst of the ruins and the flood, in the midst of the shouts and cries for help, in the midst of the world that was coming to an end.

She looked straight up at the terrible shadows in the sky, her face fixed, her hands gradually clenched into fists.

Yes, Natsume is right, she thought. Although the doom seems near, although there is still some dark, but there are a lot of good people doing silently contribution: the beige-haired teenager who had saved her, those who brought the glorious of ordinary people, those of her friends who had supported her all the way, and the thinker pursuing light in darkness. All these were reasons for her to keep going.

"I've lost so much. Now I must not lose any more of what I hold dear."

Her voice was calm, as if she were facing her destiny.

"For Tsubaki, for Watari, for Megumi and Natsume, for Kousei, for my parents, for all the people - all the things I cherish in this world, all the love, hope and light - "

"- I will fight until the last moment."

With these words she flew into the darkness.


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Chapter 11**

In the northwest corner of the city lay an apartment building, all black and in ruins. In a shed next to it stood a dead fish-eyed boy in a black coat and trousers.

Beside the boy stood a huge paper box filled with books, all his favorite works: Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," Nastume Soseki's "Kokoro," and even a copy of Bible in English – all famous works of literature or philosophy. Oddly enough, the math tutorials on his shelves did not appear in them: they might not fit, or he had no intention to.

By this time he had finished counting the books and was looking at the shattered building. Although at this time the city had been in an emergency situation, unlike those lucky enough to escape scattered buildings who then tried to get out of this terrible disaster, he stared with a strange look at this dark behemoth which he lived in for a long time and had turned into a pile of crushed Oreos, and his look were like those of people witnessing a ruler's statue being torn down in a revolution: in their eyes are discontent but also a little sympathy and even a bit of feeling like a part of the statue and being torn asunder as well.

The boy looked at the dark sky, felt the frenzied wind whistling around him, lowered his head and sighed. In his panic, he lost his phone and was unable to reach his family(including his sister), classmates, teachers and friends. Even though the elevator had been damaged, he was still able to use the stairs smoothly, which gave him an ominous feeling that the other residents were either not at home or...

He gasped and dared not to think.

Still, he thought of the many images of despair: blood oozing through the cracks in the doors, dried hands reaching out from beneath collapsed buildings as if beseeching help, bodies visible every three or five steps down the street. This reminded him of a massacre he had just written about - in fact, he thought the apocalyptic event now was worse than any massacre in human history.

He sank to the ground, his right hand slowly stroking the pages of a book beside him, his eyes fixed on the ground that was black in his eyes. The shelter above had somehow not corroded, but it was crumbling and could not last long. There was a rush of dark water around him, but it seemed to circumvent him for some reason, maybe having mercy on him.

It was strange that this critic, who had always been known for his lack of emotion and proud of his ruthlessness, this somewhat sociopathic fellow, should have wanted to weep on this terrible day. But he soon gave up the impulse, and felt that it was better to wait for the end of the world, than to weep and mourn, with the detachment and serenity of a condemned man before he is put to death.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

He murmured the ancient words, his eyes dull, as if the earth beneath his feet would devour him for a second.

What's that?

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of light, as if it were a shooting star flying across the sky.

The young man stood up in terror, raised his head as if to grasp the last straw, looked to the horizon with his last hope, and immediately breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Sure enough, he saw the figure flying into the darkness.

The superhero who once argued with him, the naive girl who he once wrote a critical article on and then helped find her way, the Phoenix Goddess who protected everyone many times and pursued light... although he disdains her verbally, he respects her in his heart.

He stood up, looked at the only point of light in the sky, and called out her name in his heart.

Miyazono Kaori.

* * *

"How? You pathetic creature, you still want to challenge me?"

From the dark clouds came a wild, thrilling voice.

The girl, who was waving her huge golden wings in midair behind her - the "pathetic creature" in the voice - did not respond, but nervously licked her lips and clenched her fists around her.

She was flying to overhead where the clouds were.

The blood-red rain was falling thickly from the clouds, as if the Armagaddon were taking place in heaven; they landed on the sun's golden helmet, and on her wings and face, making her feel pain now and then. The icy wind rose as it screamed and hit her from all sides like a stick or the autumn wind hitting a tree's falling leaves. The air grew cold and thin, like the protective coloration of an animal's body, warning her not to come any closer.

But Sun doesn't care. Even though her body was aching everywhere from the corrosive rain, even though her battle dress was about to be lifted by the wind, even though the feathers on her wings seemed to be dying, even though she felt her loneliness and fear constantly magnified and eating her heart away, she did not care.

Facing the endless darkness, she said nothing but showed an innocent smile. This expression is extremely rare in human history; only those who are about to complete or have completed their mission will show such courage in the face of death.

Like a pig who knows it's going to be made into bacon and ham.

The pigs. Pigs can fly, too.

Sun did not know why she suddenly thought of this sentence, and suddenly laughed.

How can I think of a pig when I'm dying? She thought.

She thought about it and realized that she was no different from a pig. What I thought I was doing might not be as important to the world as I thought. I thought I was perfect and could do everything best, but there were still many difficulties and pains I had to face in my life. I thought we will have a happy ending, yet we cannot escape the butcher named fate.

Fate. The ultimate fate of everything in the world is destruction.

To every thing there is a season: a time to be born, and a time to die.

Perhaps the world really is a pig waiting to be slaughtered. She thought sadly.

However, at the thought of this beautiful world, the pursuit of happiness people, and their steps forward, she smiled and sweet tears flowed down her eyes.

What if it's a pig? She thought. Even a pig has to live meaningfully, every day trying to be better than ever, every day trying to create happiness in this world, and fighting to defend it. In this way, in the face of the butcher known as death, it will not regret wasted life, because it knows that it wrote its own history.

The fragrant smell in my parents' cake shop, the music coming out of Kousei's hands beating the piano keys, the football flying into the goal under Watari's feet, the friendship in daily life between Natsume, others and spirits, and Megumi's pure and beautiful smile...

That's the meaning of life, isn't it?

In spite of the physical pain, Sun was still smiling joyfully, with a determination never seen before.

And she rushed into the dark, unfathomable clouds.

Like the meteorite that fell across the endless night sky long, long ago and brought life to the planet and the universe.

* * *

"Here you are, at last. Good, very good."

A terrible voice echoed within the darkness of the clouds, welcoming the light that came into them.

Or the girl with blond hair who looks like a light.

She was floating in the darkness within the cloud, so it was impossible to know where she was in the cloud. Her scarred golden wings were fluttering behind her, her golden hair flying behind her in the wind, her whole body shining with yellow; against this black background, she looked like an exploding supernova in the universe, dazzling but fleeting and unnoticed.

"You must have worked hard to get here. You have scars all over your body from blood-red rain, and more on your wings - red spots on your golden wings are not pretty."

"On the contrary, I think I look good." responded Sun in the same tone, "my scars are not badges of shame but my most precious medals. Like victories, they are my indelible experience and also my proof of growth!"

"Hahahaha..." The voice laughed weirdly. "The medals... I know it far more than you!"

Sun was immediately enraged. She clenched her fists, her whole body shaking, and cried out:

"Why do you hurt me and the people and things I hold dear over and over again? Why did you lure the innocent maiden into the darkness? Why are you so cruel and heartless? Why?!"

The voice sighed helplessly and answered with some relief, "We are not hurting, we are saving; we're not trying to lure people into the dark but to bring them back to their roots."

"Back to roots?" Sun, somewhat shocked, bit her lip. "What do you mean?"

"We'll get to that later. Now I will reveal to you a brutal but definitely true truth - a truth that no life knows yet."

"What's that?" asked Sun, taking a mouthful of saliva.

"You always say that the darkness should be destroyed. But the truth is, life is an accident; or rather, you were never meant to be here. Life is what should be destructed."

Sun felt a rush of dizziness in her head and a flutter in her body, and she almost lost control of her flight. She shook her head violently, but still did not understand what he was saying.

What did he say? Life doesn't belong in this world? They should be destroyed?

It's so weird. Never heard of it.

"Well, little girl, I'll explain it to you." said the darkness, in a rather haughty tone. It was deliberate, like that of an elder lecturing an arrogant youth. It was not much louder than the howling wind, but it hit Sun's eardrums harder than the wind.

"Our darkness appeared in this universe long, long ago - after the Big Bang, to be exact. We are everywhere in the universe, ensuring order and harmony between stars, planets and other celestial bodies in our own way, and strictly controlling the environment on each planet so that life does not arise.

"From our point of view, they should not appear at all: they are unknown, primitive beings acting entirely according to their own will rather than the laws of the universe, and thus disturb the stability of the whole planet and therefore the whole universe. This lifeless universe that we govern could have worked very well."

The darkness sighed.

"Until one day."

"After a long period of stability, a young planet somehow slipped out of our control and was hit by an asteroid that gave birth to life we never wanted to see. We are a bit curious but more deeply fearful: we know that the universe can only be governed by ourselves.

"After that, we tried to kill them every step of the way - well, in fact we sometimes wanted to see where they were going, so sometimes we let them off, thinking we could kill them somehow in future. When they were plants, we sometimes watched them in silence - as you watch ants - and gave up the idea of killing for a while; the same was true when they became animals.

"After a long time of observation, these novelties seemed to us to be no threat at all; on the contrary, they were childish, playful, and worthy of our study, just like you put animals in a zoo. Some of us even wanted to give up surveillance altogether and focus on our own business."

Sun bit her lip, not wanting to say a word.

"However, something unexpected happened, something that made us determined to destroy life: humanity was born."

Sun trembled with fear.

"Humans have been on our radar ever since we evolved. Unlike other animals and even life, human beings have their own consciousness and show much higher intelligence than animals, which sooner or later will disturb the established order of the universe. Their very presence is enough to scare us.

"So we decided to kill them."

"However, another unexpected thing happened: we have not been able to eliminate these higher life forms. Humans have evolved ways to consciously change the face of the world with their actions. They have also invented ways to pass on wisdom to the next generation - language. Unlike animals, they actively learn about the world and come up with ideas that, while naive, are far beyond what animals used to have.

"No amount of disaster can destroy them. The Ice Age only allowed them to spread further by heating themselves with fire, wearing animal hides and living in caves. Drought kept humans on the move, but they survived by growing crops. Hunger forced them to develop more advanced agriculture, while the plague only prompted them to experiment with medical treatments.

"Unlike other life forms, they're beginning to really have their own consciousness, they're beginning to systematically understand the world, they're beginning to try to understand the nature of the universe. Their growing power terrifies us, fearing that they will one day use it, intentionally or unintentionally, to destroy their world, or even the entire universe.

"We are right to be concerned. Although other animals hurt each other, no species other than humans will knowingly destroy the world. The endless cruel struggle and atrocities of human beings continue from prehistoric times to the present day; as they progressed, the pain never stopped, only intensified. This only strengthens our determination to destroy them.

"We feel that since humanity will perish sooner or later, it is better to let it go from its misery and return to the source of all life - the darkness from which it was born."

"No!" cried Sun angrily, her fists full of sweat and her eyes burning.

"You've only seen one side of the problem."

"How? Are you going to deny the obvious?" The darkness scoffed.

"I don't want to deny that. I am well aware that human beings are flawed, fallible, and live in constant worry and pain. Nothing is perfect - there is no such thing as an all-powerful god." said Sun quietly.

"But I saw the other side of the coin. Human beings are tainted with faults, but they know them and try to improve. Humans make mistakes all the time, but they recognize them, try to fix them, learn from them, and get better; they live in endless pain, but they can still discover and create the beauty of life, and find their own happiness in the cold universe and the short decades of lifespan."

There was a tear in Sun's eye, and it came slowly to her mouth.

"And that's enough."

"Ever since the day of humans' birth, they have walked on, toward the dim light in the distance of the dark cave. If one falls, others will take up their torches and go on with their great mission.

"They have lost and tried to seek help from the ethereal: first from the deified nature, then from the personal higher powers, then from wealth and fame. But now it is different: they now believe only in human beings themselves, and carry this belief on until the end of the darkness. They may never get there, but at least they will get closer to the light.

"I've seen a lot of people. I have seen the darkest and dirtiest corners of human nature, yet also their best moments. Both the former and the latter made me feel that what I had done was worthwhile: the darkness made me know what to destroy, while the light guided me what to protect.

"The people who want to live, the good wishes and hopes, the people and things I cherish - I won't let you deny them."

Sun finished calmly, looking up at the darkness that oppressed her, slowly let go of her fists, and showed an incomparable eyes were dry; her blood-soaked cloak swayed in the wind, but her battered body did not move.

She was burning the last bit like a candle in the wind. Her long blond hair fluttered like a faint flame, as if waving goodbye to the world.

"Now, I'm going to make my last attempt. This is the moment I've been waiting for.

"I can finally save everyone. I can finally save the land I love so much. I can finally realize my own value.

"I can finally... be a real sun."

She closed her eyes and moved her lips gently to say these words:

"Sun fusion - starts."

Her whole body then burned.

A pulsating red flame swallowed her body, wrapped around it by a golden, slowly growing transparent ball of light. Sun's clothes gradually began to fall off in the fire and weere rendered ashes, the flame then burned more. Curiously, the burning wings behind her did not fall off, but spread proudly on either side; like a bird, she was wrapped in a ball of light, reminiscent of an ancient legend about the sun.

Sun's body was burning in the fire, and yet she seemed to feel nothing, not to cry, not to wriggle, but to smile, with her eyes closed, as if she were not accepting destruction, but embracing her new life. The sphere of light outside her grew larger and larger until it was almost as large as the whole cloud, illuminating the dark interior for a moment, as if it had swallowed it up, not within it; if anyone looked up from the ground at that moment, he or she could see what seemed to be a few golden lights in the clouds.

Just as the sun shines through a crack in the clouds when a cloudy day has passed.

The dark voice came again, still cold, but a little alarmed:

"Don't do that. Even if you destroy me, there are many others, and you can not defeat the darkness. As long as these people exist, we cannot be gone."

Sun did not answer, but smiled, nodded briefly, and opened her golden eyes. Her whole body was covered with a mysterious and beautiful golden pattern, her golden hair hung naturally behind her head, gold crystal appeared on her chest, and her hands were raised to the front.

Her golden lips with infinite light moved slowly and said her last words:

"I am Sun."

The huge golden ball of light suddenly sent out numerous beams, and then exploded into many small balls of light, falling to the whole earth. Cracks in the earth were smoothed, polluted lakes and rivers were restored to their original colors, blood in the streets had disappeared, and the dead people came back to life one after another, looking at the blue sky in surprise and breathing the fresh air after the disaster crazily, just like a baby born a few minutes ago.

The huge clouds in the sky vanished, revealing a blue sky behind them, as calm as a lake. The wind and the rain stopped suddenly in a flash; the trees no longer swayed, the grass no longer trembled, no more tiles were blown into the sky by the wind, as if someone had suddenly pulled the switch.

The sun shone on a land that had just gone through a disaster, as if it had never happened. Apart from some collapsed houses, there never seemed to be any damage.

Except for a young girl.

She wore a white robe and fell to the ground in the blue sky like a wingless bird.

There were many people and things that came to her mind before she lost consciousness forever, but the last was a quote she had heard somewhere:

"We are all worms in the gutter, but someone has to look up at the stars."

She smiled with her eyes closed.

* * *

A dense crowd gathered around the girl, but there was no sound.

They were quietly watching the blonde girl who had fallen to the ground and dressed in an almost sacred white robe. Some people silently bowed heads, some people shed tears of hot but wanted not to brush them off, some people secretly sobbed, but the crowd did neither cry howl of anguish, nor shout excitedly, as if the blond girl told them by the happy smile on her face that the Phoenix goddess did not leave them forever but only was temporarily immersed in her own dream - one dream where people around her happily celebrates every day, where all people pursue life's ultimate meaning and make the world better, and where she and Kousei happily live together forever.

But it was no longer possible for her. For the sake of her ideal world, Kaori gave up the hope of life and walked boldly towards death without any fear.

Kaori's parents were also in the crowd, at the front. While hiding in the house, they were the first to spot the girl who had fallen to the ground. They almost fainted when they saw that their daughter was dead, and then burst into tears, only to stop crying as the crowd gathered.

"She's not just our daughter, she's everyone's hero." Kaori's father choked back his grief and whispered to his wife, "We have to be strong like her. If she were alive, she wouldn't hate to see us so sad!"

"Yes." His wife nodded, tearfully.

The father, though not know his daughter's true identity until the last minute, had deep understanding about it: he knew Kaori brushed her teeth on her own for thirty days to get a violin at five or six, underwent many terrible rehabilitation training to live on, and resolutely agreed to have a surgery to play with Kousei.

She had always been that way - reckless and forward." He thought helplessly.

When the crowd drew near, they were all silent in unison. Though they may wonder at Sun's identity or feel sorry and sad for her sacrifice - or just about to cry - they did not speak a word, but were silent in solemn homage to the hero who had guarded them.

The crowd suddenly gave way for some reason, and at the end appeared a young dead fish-eyed man, walking towards the direction of Kaori's body. He shuffled up to Kaori and silently nodded to her parents, then bowed deeply to her.

He was none other than Hachiman. He had a bad feeling when he saw the sky turned blue, and a golden line fell from the sky. He ran frantically in that direction, just in time to see Kaori's body from the distance of the crowd. It took him half a minute to react, to run as fast as he could to where the crowd was gathered, and then to stand silently in the outer circle. Some recognized him and gave him a tacit way out.

Hachiman bowed his head in pain, then looked up at the azure skydome.

The sky and the white clouds are so ironic to you. Why doesn't it rain to mourn you? It rains when people die in movies and novels. What's wrong with you?

He thought sarcastically as he looked at the saintly face.

Then his heavy voice began to sound, grievous and calm:

"O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head!

It is some dream that on the deck,

You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead."

The crowd remained solemn, without wailing or mourning.

Only a group of wild geese flying in the blue sky which somehow screamed, then flew across the sky and were never seen again.


	13. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Your Lie in April or any anime characters consisted in the novel.

 **Epilogue**

It was another sunny and somewhat sweltering July afternoon.

Sunshine glimmered on the leaves outdoors and cast dappled shadows on the courtyard floor like fishes swimming in water. It passed through thick windowpanes, warmed the quiet air of the study like a baker making finger-licking bread, and settled lazily on the white desk, the silver notebook keyboard, and the old man's wrinkled face. Sunshine caressed upon his silver hair, reflecting a light somewhat out of proportion to his age, and upon his eyes; they gleamed with youthful hope that he had not possessed for so long.

The old man slowly took his hands off the keyboard, took off the reading glasses from his nose and put them in the corner of the table.

From the moment he saw the sunshine, he knew his denouement was incoming.

He closed his eyes and felt the warm air in the room as if he were in the vast universe. He could not help imagining that he was floating in it, surrounded by the heat of the sun, as if he were one with it.

Sun.

He naturally thought of the blonde girl. Sunny, naive, optimistic and courageous, her golden eyes were always glittering like galaxies of stars and fireflies. She has been a powerful guardian of the land, popular among the people and hailed as an icon of his generation.

Perhaps the word "generation" does not include me, the old man thought sadly.

He had always been an anomaly among his contemporaries, a man who stuck to thick books of philosophy and literature, and who was taciturn, cold and acrid when he had to speak, so that he always felt like a tree in the forest that could not take root in the soil. So far he had been: years had smoothed out the edges of the old man's face, but not his usual loneliness and self-righteousness, and despite his reputation as a social activist and his many partners, he had few true friends.

But he felt that he, too, had changed, intentionally or not. After that day of encounter with Sun, he began to change. There were fewer articles criticizing the toxic society and more calling for people's action. In the analysis of literary works, there were less ivory-tower academics and more links and reflections with life on earth. There was less indifference, more enthusiasm for the world and more hope for the future. Although he still retains the sharp thorns of his youth, they are no longer spears to hurl people about, but shields to protect them all.

"Maybe I was changed by you." He said to himself with his eyes closed. "You always have hope in the world, in people, and therefore you protect them whatever it takes... maybe we were all changed by you. Whether we know it or not, you turn us different."

He shook his head and went on – perhaps talking to the imaginary Sun.

"You know, every year on the anniversary of your death, we pay you a moment of silence where you fell. We didn't say anything, we didn't cry, we just stood in silence, watching the shadows of the trees in the sun, listening to the birds, feeling this cruel yet beautiful world - the world for which you sacrificed your life. Every year we try to get together as far as possible, but as the years go by, there are fewer and fewer of us old people and only a few of us are left. I'm alone this year."

"I'm alone this year."

He repeated it calmly, with the same casual expression and a steady tremor in his hand.

"You say, am I terribly alone, Kaori?"

"No, you're not alone."

The old man heard the familiar voice and opened his eyes. It was indeed Kaori standing before him; she was wearing a long white robe, her golden eyes shining with youth, her long golden hair reflecting the sun, and she was standing barefoot on the ground. Her skin was smooth and clean, reminiscent of Eve in the Garden of Eden before she knew good and evil.

The old man did not look surprised or cry out, but smiled and nodded. He did not want to know whether the Kaori in front of him was real or a fantasy; he did not want to know whether the voice was real or not, either. In this sunny and quiet afternoon, he knew he was going to the same destination as Kaori did.

He reached forward with a trembling hand, and tried to touch the white robe.

"You mean, I'm not alone?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Kaori smiled. Her smile was as vibrant as it had been almost sixty years before, just as it had been when they first met.

"But my companions are all going away, and I am left alone."

"That's because you didn't see them." She was still smiling.

"They are? Are you saying... The young people?"

"Sure. Those people will carry the torch of our generation and carry on with our mission, just as we carried on the mission of the previous generation."

"But these people..." The old man's voice was full of reluctance.

"It's not what you think, Hachiman." Kaori smiled with some tone of reproach said. Her big eyes sparkled with innocence yet depth.

"What then?" Hachiman was skeptical.

"You know the truth. You just don't want to face them."

Hachiman was a little surprised, then burst out laughing.

"Why, you contradict me with what I told you? You really like to hold grudges, even after all these years." He said with a light smile. "There was something wrong with me. Isn't it?"

"Maybe..." Kaori said, "Do you know what a group of high school students you saw on the street today were doing?"

"They seemed to be holding banners and shouting slogans... well, I can't remember."

"I'll tell you - they're protesting the government's tampering with history in textbooks."

"Huh? Interesting." The old man closed his eyes again and put his left hand on the arm of his chair.

"The current government wants to further beautify the history of invasion against other countries, and their first step is to revise the textbook to frame murderers as national heroes. But these high school students knew the truth: they had been to the country to the west, seen the real history, and knew that the brutal killings had taken place and were bloody. That's why they took to the streets to protest against the government's lack of conscience and cover-up."

"That's really nice." Hacha patted the handrail with his left hand.

"And you know, these young people are not indifferent to the world. Some spread the word about garbage sorting to big cities everywhere, even around the world. Some are concerned about bullying and call on schools to help victims."

"But... My generation didn't succeed. How did they...?"

"If perfection is what you mean by 'success,' it shouldn't be a goal, because perfection is impossible. What is your definition of success? Have you thought about it?"

"Maybe... No..." said the old man, lowering his head.

"You've been staring into the darkness of society for too long. In fact, your heart is longing for light. Otherwise, why would you be so worried about your shortcomings that you point out them? Why did you give me such crucial guidance on that day? Though you have seen all the cruelty in the world, you have never given up on it. Why?"

Kaori said nothing but smiled.

"Maybe... maybe I am after happiness and light. There was a smile on Hachiman's face, which seemed to be still with decades of bitterness, but also filled with hope.

"I have spent the few decades of my brief life in search of change, and though I would not admit it, I have been changing this society as well as being changed by it: I have been indignant in my youth, I have been cynical, I have tried to turn to nihilism to ease my pain, to forget all my troubles in a drunken dream. However, this gradually better world helped me get out of the dark. I became more rational, more sincere in sympathy with those suffering, and knew that life would go on, and that I was actually standing on this planet. This is neither heaven nor hell."

"Because this is earth. It's where we live and what we value most."

"Thank you, Sun."

As the old man spoke, a drop of tear came out, dropped on the white table and slipped away noiseless.

He looked out of the window at the dour sunlight and smelt the fragrance of the room. He turned slowly to the computer, typed a line on it, leaned back slowly, and closed his eyes again.

"So you came to pick me up, didn't you?"

"Yes. I want you today to return to eternal tranquility, to our roots - no, perhaps not to our roots in the earth, but to the blue sky above it."

Kaori was still smiling beautifully. Time seemed to have stopped and all sounds were gone.

"The hour has come. Let's go." Hachiman said. His tone was mixed, as if with contempt for the agonizing world and reluctance to part with good people around him.

He knew that the world he fought for would gradually become a better place.

With Kaori's figure bit by bit disappeared, Hachiman smiled into the eternity.

A fresh wind was blowing beside him, opening the window and rushing straight into the blue sky.

There was only one sentence on the laptop:

"We come from the earth, to be among the stars."


End file.
